Review + Photos by SILVIA PAVERI
SAYREVILLE, N.J. – The night of February 10th, in Sayreville New Jersey, the ground shook for about an hour. Thankfully it was not an earthquake, but it simply was the band Sevendust playing a sold out show at the Starland Ballroom, gifting the attendees with a powerful performance and definitely a night for the books.
Sevendust is co-headlining with Static-X on the Machine Killer North American Tour. The opening acts in the lineup were Lines for Loyalty followed by Dope. This is the second leg of an incredible run that for the first time in forever, since 1999, brought back together for a tour of both Sevendust and Static X, as well as Dope.
Sevendust played about an hour-long set, supporting their 14th studio album Truth Killer, released in July 2023. The band opened the show with the song “I Might Let the Devil Win,” which sort of started slow but nonetheless powerful and intense. They played the title track from the new album right after, which had the crowd getting more and more loud, singing along, jumping and putting their fists and horns up.
The song “Alpha” came next and that’s when the real madness began. My jaw dropped during the performance of this track, it was so fast and heavy, showcasing Sevendust’s unique and incredible sound, killer beats and riffs. The audience was very pumped up and the energy in the room was electric.
The entire set was a mix of new songs and old popular hits. The show was made even more entertaining by the videos played on the stage screens behind the band and it definitely complemented the performance. Fans were bouncing, crowd surfing, and enthusiastically screaming the songs back at the band. I could spot some kids in the audience crowd surfing as well and I could tell that the lead singer, Lajon Witherspoon, was very entertained by this.
Sevendust are not only incredibly talented musicians, they are also very humble human beings who appreciate their fans. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a Sevendust show where LJ didn’t shed a few tears of gratitude and this show was not an exception. They are always very generous with the members of the audience, throwing out guitar picks and drumsticks. Guitar player Clint Lowery even made a paper airplane with the setlist and threw it to the crowd with a lot of guitar picks in it.
They ended the show with the song “Face to Face,” from their 2003 album Seasons. No matter how many times I’ve seen this band live, I always get excited as it was my first and they always leave me eager for more. Yes, they are that good. If you have never been to a Sevendust show, I recommend checking them out during this Machine Killer tour, which will end on February 28th to then start again with a third leg on April 27th.
Listen to Sevendust:
SEVENDUST at Starland Ballroom Setlist:
I MIGHT LET THE DEVIL WIN
TRUTH KILLER
ALPHA
TILL DEATH
PIECES
HERO
DENIAL
BLACK STRONG ARM
BROKEN
ENEMY
EVERYTHING
SPLINTER
BITCH
FACE TO FACE
