Three days grace: life starts now

January 12, 2009

Three Days Grace stormed into Vancouver Tuesday night, igniting a frenzy of cheering, singing and moshing fans who took in the the show at GM Place.

Featuring the best from their three albums, the rockers who hail from Norwood, Ontario, left it all on the stage tonight with an energetic, entertaining performance.

There was plenty of homegrown talent on display and Vancouver fans were nothing but appreciative. Promoting their latest studio effort Life Starts Now, recorded in Vancouver, Three Days Grace recruited illScarlett and Default to create the tone for the show at the Garage.

illScarlett opened with a spirited set that included “Take It For Granted”, off their latest album 1Up!, and the hit single “Nothing Special”. Infusing reggae into rock, the four-member band from Mississauga, Ontario, is reminiscent of Sublime.

Up next, Default took the stage and continued to push the show’s intensity higher. The local band, discovered by Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, served as the second act, entertaining their hometown crowd with a 10-song set that included “Wasting My Time”, “(Taking My) Life Away” and “Deny”, as well as “All Over me”, off their latest album Comes and Goes.

By the time Three Days Grace appeared, the crowd, packing the stadium floor in front of the stage, had yelled themselves hoarse. Launching into their set, the foursome consisting of Adam Gontier (vocals and guitar), Neil Sanderson (drums, keyboard and vocals), Brad Walst (bass guitar), and Barry Stock (guitar), captivated fans right from the beginning with popular singles “Break”, “The Good Life”, and “Pain”.

The group treated fans to earlier hits, off their self-titled, debut album including “I Hate Everything About You”, that had the entire building singing along, and “Home”, complete with pyro-techniques.

Life Starts Now reflects the band’s life in the three years since their last album One-X was released in 2006. The period between albums was traumatic for the band as the musicians experienced tragedy in their personal lives.

The songs from this album offer a diverse range of emotion, tapping into the band’s experience and redefinition of life and living after loss. Reflecting on the turmoil of the past years, the group produced hit songs “Bitter Taste”, “Last To Know”, “World So Cold” and “Without You”.

Working through their pain and finding inspiration in their work, the band played to a receptive audience in Vancouver. Sharing their experiences through their music, tonight’s performance highlighted their drive and passion.

The 14-song set also featured an incredible drum solo and a cover of Apocalyptica’s “I Don’t Care”, before concluding with a fiery rendition of “Riot”. Cheered back on stage for an encore, the group ended the night with “Lost In You,” “Just Like You,” and “Animal I Have Become”.

The resilience and reflection showcased in Three Days Grace’s latest album was embodied in tonight’s performance and for their effort the Canadian talent received deafening appreciation from the crowd.