The event was dubbed “An Evening With Sully Erna: Experience the Gift of Music!” The audience inside The Bear’s Den experienced just that on Saturday evening at the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, New York. The intimate venue added to the “up close and personal” nature of the show.
A movie screen backdrop featuring a lesson on sound preceded Erna’s entrance to the stage shortly after 8:00 PM. The simple set up included an array of both acoustic and electric guitars, a piano, a drum kit, a bass and a mandolin, which had me curious before the show even started.
Although this performance was chock full of technical difficulties, Erna handled it well from the get go when his guitar was not plugged in. He went on singing his opening number “Awake” in true “the show must go on” fashion. His vocal quality is so resounding, it stood quite well on its own. He stopped to mention that he had some tequila before the show and said it was unusual for him to do so. In my opinion, it likely took the edge off just enough to turn those tech problems into some unique storytelling segments that the crowd really enjoyed throughout the show.
During the Alice in Chains cover “Nutshell,” Erna paid homage to fallen artists with images of Layne Staley, Randy Rhoads, Dimebag Darrell and Johnny Cash, just to name a few, on the screen behind him. He moved to the piano for “Until Then” and “Broken Road.” About halfway through “Broken Road,” Erna was joined by fellow vocalist Lisa Guyer, Chris Lester on bass, Tim Theriault on electric guitar and David Stefanelli on the drums. The band sounded terrific. Lisa Guyer’s vocals where angelic on “Avalon” and together with Erna’s haunting voice, they created beautiful vocal harmonies with tribal tones that garnered a standing ovation following the song. The set list was well balanced with Godsmack songs, solo material and a few covers. The mandolin that I was eyeing up before the show got the spotlight as it was played by Chris Lester during “Hollow.”
After “Sinner’s Prayer,” Erna introduced Chris Lester and Tim Theriault and he exited the stage as the two played an impressive acoustic guitar duet. The highlight for me was “Touche.” The back and forth vocals between Erna and Guyer were fabulous and gave the tune a real bluesy feel. It was followed by an awesome rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Time,” commemorating the 40th anniversary of ‘Dark Side of the Moon.’ There was also another anniversary, of sorts, that Erna shared with the audience. He told the crowd that his very first solo show was in the very room where we were gathered and he also added that he was pretty nervous for that show. It was on May 1, 2008 at the Bear’s Den. When he returned to the stage for an encore, he was greeted by an enthusiastic chant “Sully, Sully, Sully” and an extended standing ovation as he told the crowd that for a small audience, “it’s the best one on this run so far!” He played “Serenity,” told the audience that he’s very thankful and then introduced the band, referring to Lisa Guyer as his musical soul mate and the female version of himself.
Following mini-solos upon introductions, Erna said they were going to do one for fun and they covered Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” and then finished up with a sing-a-long to “Hey Jude” from The Beatles. Before making his final exit from the stage, Erna told the audience: “This is the gift of music; take it home with you!” I certainly did and I’m willing to bet that everyone in that room did too. Erna’s versatility, along with his engaging stage presence and the fine musicians who joined him, created a musical feast with this performance. I’m happy that I had the chance to “experience the gift of music with Sully Erna” and hopefully, when he comes to your neck of the woods, you will also have that chance.
Set List:
Awake(Godsmack song)
Keep Away(Godsmack song)
Running Blind(Godsmack song)
Nutshell(Alice in Chains cover)
Fall Into Black
Until Then…
Broken Road
Avalon
The Departed
Hollow(Godsmack song)
Eyes of a Child
Sinner’s Prayer
My Light
Forever My Infinity
Touche(Godsmack song)
Time(Pink Floyd cover)
Encore:
Serenity(Godsmack song)
The Chain(Fleetwood Mac cover)
Hey Jude(The Beatles cover)
All Photos by Gus Griesinger.
We would like to thank Tony Astran from the Seneca Niagara Casino for his assistance in helping BackstageAxxess review the show.
