January 14, 2014 in Los Angeles, CA, concert goers took a trip to the House of Blues on Sunset Blvd. and walked into the basement of 3 Doors Down. Being the first concert many people will be attending in 2014, the band had a lot of pressure to kick the year off right.
Doing an acoustic show is already something out of the ordinary and the stage setup really made the crowd feel as though they were in someone’s urban basement- with rugs, couches, wooden foot rests and of course, instruments. Those fans who purchased the VIP package were treated to drinks and relaxed on the couches that were on stage, and watched the entire show on stage/ in the basement. After the VIP’s were settled in, the band members walked out on stage and sat down on their bar stools with their instruments. Singer, Brad Arnold pulled on a light bulb string, turning on the lights to the basement and they began their set with Father’s Son.
Following each song, Arnold gave a sincere and heartfelt “Thank you very, very much” to the crowd. Unlike their rock shows, this acoustic performance was very intimate, being at a small venue, and Arnold interacted with the crowd every chance he could, giving back stories on songs.
“This song was used in a lot of relief videos after Katrina. But it wasn’t made for that originally… but when we went back and listened and saw it, it was really heart wrenching… so this song is one of my favorites”. Here by Me. It was nice to hear Arnolds thoughts on songs and how they came to be and it really gave fans the inside scoop on his opinions and his life.
Around half-way through the set, after performing their past single, When You’re Young, Arnold went into great detail, reminiscing about making that song and putting it out as a single.
“When we put that song out, we didn’t know if it would be a hit. It’s done alright but it wasn’t a hit but we still put it out as a single. And we put it out because we thought that some kid should hear that song. We were performing at a festival near Austria and Hungry. There was a 16 year old boy standing there, in the front row and he was singing along to most of the songs. But when we got to When you’re Young, water herds in this eye, he sang it all so loud. It was worth putting that song out to see that boys face. I will never forget his face. It was so freaking awesome.”
The crowd cheered Arnold on at the end of his touching story, some shivering from goose bumps.
Through his story-telling and band interaction, Arnold and the band put on a flawless performance. The crowd intensity was a little low, but we will account the lack of energy on it being an acoustic show. The vocals sounded just as the albums and the instrumentals were played as if the band has been doing acoustic shows for years. Following the encore song’s, Here Without You and When I’m Gone, Arnold pulled the light in the basement one last time, and the stage went black. Fans left with guitar pics, drum sticks, t-shirts and proof that a rock band can do an acoustic show and make it sound amazing. Here at Soundcheck411.com, we are happy to that 3 Doors Down kicked off 2014.
Review by: Nicole Lemberg