Shinedown & Asking Alexandria at Wembley Arena
12 December 2022
This evening marks a momentous occasion for Shinedown in fact this tour is momentous. Headlining arenas and taking the UK by storm, tonight it’s London’s turn at the mighty OVO Arena Wembley!
Unfortunately due to poor venue organisation and staff giving myself and a few other photographers wrong directions I am unable to catch the opening act Zero 9:36. so my first venture into the fray is for a band from this side of the pond the mighty Asking Alexandria.
This could easily be their own headline show tonight, the response from the crowd is vast and immediately we are full throttle. Frontman Danny Worsnop bursts into an impressive vocal for opener ‘Alone Again’ and every band member is full of life throwing themselves into an immense and powerful performance. They have some serious stamina and this level of energy is maintained throughout their entire set in fact they even manage to take it higher as flames erupt all around them during ‘The Violence’ and funnily enough ‘Into The Fire’!
They are a perfect fit for the line-up and you could be forgiven for forgetting monetarily that we were actually at a Shinedown gig. The crowd responds to Danny calling for them to bounce and the whole room becomes animated in unison.
Their set is a great mix of classics and new material and it’s a real journey. Although perhaps their musical direction has changed a little it is all still very authentically Asking Alexandrea and they tear through a hugely enjoyable and exciting set setting the perfect mood for the main event!
The anticipation in the room is palpable, it’s been too long since the Florida four have graced our shores and we are more than ready to rock out with them! This tour is in honour of recent release ‘Planet Zero’ the bands 7th studio album, and they open the set with ‘The Saints of Violence and Innuendo’ a song very much befitting of an arena and it rips through the air taking the energy levels through the roof.
These guys know how to entertain and frontman Brent Smith looking sharp in a suit and tie commands the space as easily as breathing with both Zach Myers and Eric Bass moving around constantly interacting with the crowd and generally rocking out hard!
The stage is swathed in red light for second track ‘Devil’ from 2018 release ‘Attention! Attention!’ and the crowd become one voice. The band patrol and prowl the stage giving it their all and its inherently clear that tonight is really significant to them, you can feel the gratitude and excitement pouring from them through the music. The chosen set list is an absolutely magnificent mix compiled from their impressive catalogue.
This is a performance to be remembered with its electric atmosphere with many stand out moments from the huge pyrotechnic displays during ‘Monster’ to the more poignant and emotional ‘Second Chance’ you realise this band has been through so much and they mean a great deal to everyone here.
Shinedown have been deserving of a headline show like this for such a long time and everyone in attendance are united and truly connected here. If you didn’t get a chance to witness them on this tour, then I advise you to get in line for their UK return visit – you won’t regret it!
https://www.facebook.com/Shinedown
Review & All Photos By Rebecca Bush