SAINT ASONIA/BLACK STONE CHERRY – WEBSTER THEATER

SAINT ASONIA/BLACK STONE CHERRY – WEBSTER THEATER

By Joe Perusse

Black Stone Cherry, Agia AsoniaAny Given Sin – Webster Theatre, Hartford CT

On Saturday, three outstanding acts shared the stage at the Webster Theater for an evening of great music.

Any Given Sin led the night, coming out on fire with “Insidious” to get the crowd going from the start. Frontman Victor Ritchie said hi to Hartford a few times and introduced Chris Dean, filling in on guitar for Mike Conner, for his opening solo. “Another Life” followed and the re-released “Dynamite”, now in the top 20 was next along with an explanation as to why the band were a 3 piece tonight.

Photos by Holly Roy Photography

Bassist Rich Stevenson broke a couple of fingers earlier in the tour and although that didn't stop him from performing, Covid did and he went back to the hotel to rest. “War Within”, the title track of the new album has been hot. reception with devil's horns in the sky by the crowd. “Still Sinking”, “The Way I Say Goodbye” and “House on Fire”, which included band introductions, closed out the short but energetic set. Mike Showter on drums completes the lineup.

Agia Asonia was second and it seemed to me that the majority of the crowd was there for this night. “Above it All” kicked off the set and “Better Place” had the audience singing along with Adam Gontier (vocals/rhythm guitar). He declared himself ready for the old, the new and everything in between and the crowd roared as “The Hunted” and “Chew Me Up” followed. “Wolf” from the new EP Introvert had the crowd moving and the first mosh pit of the night appeared.

Photos by Holly Roy Photography

Gontier commented that he believes the first time Webster played was in 2007 with Three Days Grace, and it was included in covers of “Never Too Late” and “I Hate Everything About You” from his time with the band. Another cover of ex-band Apocalyptica's “I Don't Care” was next. Back to his current concert. “Well, another new song, and 'Say Goodbye' had the crowd with their hands in the air.

“Blinding Lights” The cover of the weekend was followed by “Riot” another Three Days Grace cover that got the biggest crowd reaction of the night. “Devastate” and “Let Me Live My Life” completed a super set and brought the audience into a frenzy. Rounding out the band were touring guitarist Tavis Stanley, Cale Gontier (bass) and Cody Watkins (drums).

Black Stone Cherry finished the night. While I would say about 30% of the crowd left afterwards Agia Asonia, those that remained were mighty. The mosh pit, with its new found space, opened up to take up most of half the floor. It started when “Me and Mary Jane” started and didn't let up until “Lonely Train” closed the show. “Burnin'” was second and I noticed that Ben Walls (Rhythm Guitar) and Steve Jewell (Bass) kept switching sides on stage. They kept this up throughout the set which I loved as you could see both up close no matter which side of the stage you were watching from.

Photos by Holly Roy Photography

“Again” and “Nervous” followed and Chris Robertson (Vocals/Guitar) talked about 2006 being the first time they played Webster and Wells commented that he was hit with trash thrown on stage at that show. This lead nicely to “White Trash Millionaire”. The crowd clapped along to 'Blind Man' and 'Like I Roll'. Robertson called for help singing 'Give Me One Reason' a cover of Tracy Chapman and the crowd gave a good effort.

“When The Pain Comes” was released a few weeks ago and the band asked for help by calling in requests to get it played on the radio. There was a band jam, including John Fred Young (Drums) and Jeffery Boggs (Bongos) for “Can't You See/In My Blood/Whitehouse Road”. “Blame It on the Boom Boom” and the previously mentioned “Lonely Train” sent the Hartford night crowd rocking.

This was a late addition to my concert schedule and I'm glad I got to make it happen. Not only was the music great, but I caught guitars from Any Given Sin and from Agia Asonia. The guys were really getting some distance tonight as I was on the rail in front of the speaker. You never know where they fly, especially in smaller spaces. See live music when you can, and if you get a chance to see any of these bands when they come back, it's highly recommended.

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