Review: Aaron Lewis

Photos by Chuck France, Special to The Star 

Some practitioners of acoustic music affectionately refer to their preferred approach as "picking and grinning."  The tone of a solo concert by Aaron Lewis, however, might be more accurately labeled "strumming and stewing" or "playing and pouting."

 
Lewis, the front man for rock band Staind, is a mopey man.  His most popular songs examine his emotional pain and general malaise.  Lewis' compositions may not be a barrel of monkeys, but his tortured persona helped make Staind one of the most commercially successful rock acts of the late '90s and early '00s.

His performance Sunday at the Midland Theater was even gloomier than expected.  In stark contrast to his 2007 appearance at the Uptown Theater, Lewis did not appreciate the constant barrage of shouted
requests from the audience of approximately 1,200. He repeatedly scolded rambunctious fans.

"I'm not going to play any cover songs tonight," he announced early in the show.  "I hope that's alright."

It wasn't.

While most of Lewis' original compositions are good, only a few are exceptional.  Many -- if not most -- fans buy a ticket to a Lewis concert to experience a hard rock hootenanny.  He has become one of today's foremost interpreters of contemporary rock songs, sort of a tattooed troubadour for a generation that idolizes Kurt Cobain instead of Bob Dylan.  His campfire versions of material by Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd and Tool are outstanding.

Perhaps Lewis has become disenchanted with his reputation as a purveyor of easy listening versions of the favorite songs of aging hard rock and metal fans.  The night's only cover was an abbreviated
rendition of "Rainbow Connection."  And he sung it in character -- as Kermit the Frog.

Lewis' disagreeable attitude probably contributed to the increasingly poor reception he received as the evening progressed.  The level of disengaged chatter increased after each song.

"I'm getting distracted by all the people talking in the back," Lewis complained during one selection.

And his attempt to explain the origin of the Staind hit "Outside" failed miserably.

"You don't have to yell at me, man," Lewis told an impatient fan. "I'm doing a 'Storyteller's' thing."

 
When the murmuring and shouting failed to cease, Lewis lost his temper.

"I'm done talking," he snapped.  "F*ck all, y'all."

He only performed two songs after that outburst.  The concert ended after 100 minutes, a short outing by Lewis' standards.  A handful of exceptional moments salvaged the concert. An unmistakable homage to Hank Williams, Jr.s "A Country Boy Can Survive" stood out.  Its libertarian worldview resonated with the audience.

"I hope you like that one because I think it's gonna be the first single from my (forthcoming) solo stuff," Lewis confided.

Staind favorites "Right Here" and "Epiphany" worked well but a rendition of "It's Been Awhile," his band's biggest hit, was marred by Lewis' confession that he was becoming "sick of playing it."

Lewis proudly boasted of his new line of Aaron Lewis Signature guitars from the Gibson Acoustic guitar manufacturer.  While he's not a flashy instrumentalist, Lewis achieves a remarkably distinctive guitar tone. It's complemented by his sonorous vocals.  He performed one song without amplification from the lip of the stage.  The effort showcased both the power of his voice and the exceptional acoustics of the
Midland Theater.

Lewis is an undeniable talent.  Yet unmet audience expectations cast a pall on his performance Sunday.  Still, it's not a complete loss. Lewis noted that all of the night's proceeds were were being donated
to the Catch-A-Dream foundation.


SET LIST
So Far Away; Please; Anywhere But Here; Country Boy; Everything Changes; Right Here; Home; Blow Away; Rainbow Connection; Zoe Jane; The Corner; Epiphany; Bong Hits For Breakfast; Tangled Up In You; Outside; It's Been Awhile; Intro.

Bill Brownlee/Special to The Star

Comments

[Scott]

Eww, they had seats

[Gary Dean]

The Show ROCKED and I got a boot to prove it !

[Venkman]

Who wrote this review? Am I missing it?

[Tim Finn]

my bad: bill brownlee was the reviewer.

[Deuce]

I don't think the concert was as bad as portrayed by Bill. I was entertained for over an hour, even though I was expecting more. It was unfortunate that some folks could not or would not shut the f up, thus antagonizing Lewis, hell, they were antagonizing me. I did not go in expecting a knock down rock fest, so I was not as disappointed as Bill. There was one gal by us that was expecting a rock fest, but got disillusioned when she was the only one standing up and yelling, so she left early. First time I have been to a concert in the Midland that had seats, and not a real fan of that. However, the music was sound, the vocals were on, and since I had low expectations, I was not disappointed.

[pellboy]

I keep hearing about how big this guy's band was and while I've heard the name, I can honestly say that I'm not sure I've ever even heard any of their songs. I'm either hopelessly out of the loop or just don't care to be a part of it. What are we talking here...Nickleback or Creed-like (which would explain my ambivalence) or something much harder?

[Gary Dean]

This was posted on a blog on Stainds website....Now this is a review.

Because my husband is made of win, I was gifted with an early birthday present of tickets to see Aaron Lewis in a solo, acoustic show last night at the Midland in Kansas City. This means I was able to see one of my all-time favorite singers TWICE in the space of about five months. Unreal.

I’d never been to a solo, acoustic show before. Like most music lovers, I’d seen the Storytellers shows on VH-1, and I’ve downloaded just about every acoustic performance I get wind of (thank you, iTunes). But even with all of that “preparation,” I had no idea what to expect. I'd searched this website for the comments and blogs from those who’d seen this type of show before and the level of appreciation and excitement for it was such that articulation of the experience didn’t seem to be all that possible.

I was able to go with a good friend of mine who happened to be in town; the hubs stayed home with the munchkin (birthday gift number two). The venue was amazing—the interior of the theater was gorgeous and beautifully restored to resemble an authentic performing arts theatre with two balconies and an eye-opening chandelier in the lobby. The folding chair seats were padded and covered with red velvet so that you didn’t mind so much having to sit the entire time.

The intimacy of the performance encouraged sitting and listening; however, about 25% of the audience didn’t seem to get that nuance.

We arrived early enough that we were able to warm up and soak in the setting. A single mic was placed center stage surrounded by three acoustic guitars in opened cases, and flanked by a stand with bottles of water. Blue lights illuminated the setting and gave the stage a mysterious, ghostly aura. The audience seats filled quickly; next to my friend and I sat a friendly couple. My friend informed the guy that I was in love with Aaron; I quickly corrected that I was in love with his voice. Much to my amusement, the guy replied, “Yeah, me too.”

Hee.

Aaron was a few minutes late coming onstage, but it soon didn’t matter. He played for just under two hours and erased any pent up anxiousness that built as we waited. He walked out in jeans, sneakers, and a black T-shirt with something printed on it that I couldn't clearly see. When I’d seen Staind before, opening for Creed at Kansas City’s Sprint Center, we were far enough away that the band looked to be about the size of G.I. Joe action figures. This time, I could see his face. He was smoking a cigarette when he came out—the first of about 425 he smoked that night *grin*—and we went nuts.

He selected a guitar and immediately shouts came out from the audience requesting songs—his and cover songs. He fumbled about on the water bottle-laden table for a few seconds; the stage crew had thought of everything, it seemed, except guitar picks. Whoops. *GRIN*

I didn’t write down the set list, I simply breathed in the sound; I know I won’t have all the songs he played, but I will have the ones that impacted me the most. He opened with So Far Away. It was my intro into how very different this was going to be from the Staind concert a few months back. It’s one thing to hear these songs live—it’s another thing entirely to hear Aaron sing them without the impact of the electric guitar and drums to drive the beat home. The man’s voice is an instrument; the lyrics (at the risk of going purple with this prose) climb inside me and draw out my own personal story.

If you have had any angst in your life—familial, parental, relationship—you will identify with and understand most if not all of the lyrics in just about every song he sings. The cadence of most songs was altered from the album version to account for the fact that it was just him, but it only added to the impact of the words.

Next he went to Please. In my earlier blog about my first Staind concert experience, I mentioned that this song was a letter from me to my parents. I love the album version; the interior of my car has been gifted with my performance of these impassioned lyrics many times over. But listening to Aaron’s voice slide over and around the familiar notes, stretching out the words, pacing out the chorus—it nearly brought me to tears.

I want a recording of that version. Like now.

This concert was a rather special one, it seemed. Aaron had teamed up with a charity that helped terminally ill children and all of the proceeds of the ticket sales, his paycheck, and everything he solde merchandise-wise was going to benefit that charity. He mentioned it twice during the show, so you knew it meant a lot to him. I hope they were able to raise a good amount of money.

I will say that while being able to listen to Aaron was an experience that won’t be matched, I sincerely hope that the experience of listening to the audience is one that won’t be duplicated. Starting, it seemed, about three rows behind us, people whooped and hollered and called out song titles—including cover titles even after Aaron said he wasn’t going to play covers—and created a general hoopla that, while, yeah, we get it, you love the guy… just shut up already.

I was able to tune it out for the most part, but, seriously, when you mix alcohol and the general public, consideration for your fellow man seems to vacate the premises rather quickly. In fact, at one point while singing Tangled Up In You, Aaron flubbed a line and said, with grudging amusement, that he was getting distracted by the people talking in the back. Even that wasn’t enough of a hint to get them to shut it. Frustrating.

Despite that fact, Aaron’s voice overcame and he sang on. I’d secretly hoped he’d sing my favorite song—the ringtone on my phone when the hubs calls me—Everything Changes, but was prepared to enjoy regardless. When those first chords were played, I had goose bumps.

Again, I want a recording of that version.

Amazing is too common a word for the sound of that rough-edged voice wrapping around lyrics such as, “…I am the mess you chose, the closet you cannot close, the devil in you I suppose, because the wounds never heal.” When he came to the chorus and dropped his head back so that he could fill the auditorium with his unique sound, I shivered. He dropped it down to softly croon the ending. *BRAVO*

Blow Away, Home, Right Here, Anywhere But Here, and The Corner were also included in the set list (I know I'm missing several...). He also played one I hadn’t heard but that was pure Aaron Lewis about where he came from and who he was: an American country boy. He prefaced it and one other saying, “This, like all my songs, is a true story.” When he closed it he said that he hoped we liked it because he thought it was going to be the first single from his solo album.

First—solo album?! *squee* and second—hell, yeah, we liked it!

He tried to go Storyteller on us when introducing Outside. He got a little bit of the story out before the yahoos in the back whoo-hooed all over what he was saying and he pretty much gave up and started playing. I knew he’d introduced the song in Biloxi with Fred Durst singing the chorus with him. What I hadn’t known was that he basically wrote the verses on the fly, in front of 14,000 people. WHOA. I would’ve liked to have heard more of that story, but, well, yeah.

Still, the crowd sang their bloody hearts out when it came to the chorus. *love*

The stage crew had done a good job keeping him supplied with cigarettes; I think he probably lit up one between just about every song. *HA!* They must’ve kept burning out as he sang. He used an old-school Zippo that I found to be just very him. The mother in me, though, had me worrying how long his voice could hold out—not just for the show, for the length of his career—smoking as much as he did. To be completely honest, I was surprised that it was allowed in a closed venue like the Midland. But it kept him happy and mellow and able to mostly ignore the yahoos.

At one point, my seat companion called out for Waste and Aaron replied, “You want me to do Waste?” Prompting the guy—and several others—to think that song was coming next. Instead, Aaron broke out with his only cover of the night: The Rainbow Connection in a fairly accurate Kermit The Frog imitation. *BWAH!!* Only a Papa could pull that one off. *grins*

Speaking of being a Papa, when he played Zoe Jane, my eyes welled. My daughter is three and a half and I used that song as a lullabye to put her to sleep many-a-nap when she was an infant. It was fantastic hearing him sing it live—and it sounded exactly the same (not as me, but as how it sounded on the album). Won’t be soon forgotten.

He played another song I hadn’t heard before—and while wildly entertaining during the concert it probably won’t be one that I’d play multiple times, no matter how much I love his voice. Let’s just say bonging was discussed throughout the melody and someone—or several someones—in the crowd responded by toking up. *sighs* Ah, well. What can you do?

When he left the stage, we took our feet with applause and I was reassured that he’d be back when the lights didn’t come up. He returned and told us he had one more song for us, but that we had to sit down and be quiet. I wasn’t sure such a thing could be accomplished.

Never underestimate the power of Aaron Lewis’ voice.

He picked up the stool he’d been sitting on all night and put it at the edge of the stage. Sans mic for his voice or guitar, he belted out a Thank You song. And everyone listened. I kid you not. All of the whoo-hooers, all of the shout-outs, everything stopped. And we listened. And he filled that auditorium. It was awesome.

I’ve now experienced something I thought I would never really see: one of my favorite singers performing live. I am a lucky, lucky girl.

*heads off into Monday with a Staind playlist humming happily in the background*

[pellboy]

A review? Sounded my like a love letter from Marsha Brady to Davey Jones. Yikes.

[Amanda]

Gary Dean gave me a heads up that he'd shared my blog from the Staind site here. I see that the official reviewer wasn't nearly as enthusiastic concerning the experience.

And while, yes, the recount does have a bit of an "I heart A.L." tone, understand it wasn't drafted to be a 'review,' per se, simply a blog -- on a FAN site -- about the experience. Do with that what you will.

[Gary Dean]

I thought the "Blog" was great
way more in depth than the review

pellboy sounds like he was not even there

[Dutch Rudder]

If I were a fan of his, I'd be dissapointed if I didn't leave an Aaron Lewis show unfulfilled!

Just not into him. Others are. Oh well.

[pellboy]

Gary, you're right, I wasn't there because as I indicated earlier, I don't even know who this gentleman is. However, while the blog "review" was well-written and very descriptive, it's hardly an accurate review when it comes from a such a hardcore fan who comes across like some giddy teenaged girl.

Thanks but I prefer my concert reviews to be just a tad bit more objective and for the most part, I think TF, Brownlee and Joel Francis do an excellent job.

[used computers]

This eventually creates enough power to charge the batteries of most small, portable electronic devices. The ergonomic design offers extended charging effort with little operator fatigue. Importantly, it provides 100% green energy and mostly charges devices with only a few minutes of charging.

[louis vuitton wallet]

A review? Sounded my like a love letter from Marsha Brady to Davey Jones. Yikes.

[stainless steel rings]

fun life, but im not into music that much, unless its LDS music.

[Aaron Lewis Tickets]

I’m in Westbury and looking forward to February 20th. Aaron will come to Raymond James Stadium. Aaron’s music always gives a great passion and delight. Especially as he is singing country. Country sucks!

[plantronics headset]

Great show I was there. Good writup on the show.