STAINDONE NIGHT ONLY AT MOHEGAN SUN

By: Kat Gullage

An Evening With Staind to “experience Break The Cycle live, front to back” was a special one night only performance as both Staind’s third studio LP and Mohegan Sun are celebrating twenty-fifth anniversaries.


Staind formed in 1995 an hour north of the venue in Springfield MA. We watched em perform local gigs until they hit it big with Dysfunction in 1999. They’ve released eight studio albums, but their highest-charting song “It’s Been Awhile”, comes from Break The Cycle, which recently went eight-times platinum, with a revived interest as fans ready for the upcoming tour. The song also won at the 2001 “My VH1 Music Awards” for the “Your Song Kicked Ass But Was Played Too Damn Much” category.


A twenty fifth anniversary is marked by silver, and the symbolism of that metal can also easily apply to metalheads who have stuck with the band. Silver signifies: marriage that has lasted a quarter century, polished and sustained through time and shared experiences, resisting tarnish and corrosion, a rare and precious investment of time and loyalty. Sounds a helluva lot like being a Staind fan.


This was at least my tenth Staind show and I’ve never seen a bad one. I was psyched to hear the deep cuts. If ya wanted to hear just the hits, the moose out front shoulda told ya that Break The Cycle was being performed in its entirety.


“Open Your Eyes” was followed by “Pressure” (last performed 2009) and fan favorite “Fade”. Aaron Lewis, beloved voice of Staind, addressed the fans. “Good evening, so glad you’re all here. Welcome to the show. Here’s a song I wrote cuz someone told me I couldn’t.” This was the intro to “It’s Been Awhile” and the Staind devotees proved they will never tire of hearing it.


A coupla lesser known songs were next, both last performed in 2002: “Change” and the super-heavy “Can’t Believe” which was the set highlight for me. My least favorite was next (it’s just so slow) and Aaron explained “Wrote this next song about suffering from ADD” before performing “Epiphany”.


It was back to the deep cuts and heavy shit with “Suffer” (last performed 2011). “We don’t play this song too much, we will be now,” Aaron remarked before we got the live debut (!) of “Warm Safe Place”. My fave of the five singles Break The Cycle spawned was on deck, “For You” and Staind delivered a picture perfect rendition.


“This next song started out as a mistake” was the frontman’s intro for “Outside”, which had the crowd singing along and lighting up the arena. Us diehard Staind fans know the story: Aaron actually played the song for a while, making up different lyrics each time because it was unfinished. At a 1999 Family Values tour stop, Aaron was on stage by himself, with Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst on backing vocals, and he completed the lyrics on the spot while singing the song live. Crazy way for one of Staind’s most well known hits to come into existence.


The main set closed with “Waste” (last performed 2006) and “Take It” (last performed 2004), two more obscure tracks that delivered the anniversary celebration as promised.


Would there be an encore? We were in uncharted territory. Those of us in GA pit speculated about it. My thought was they just played thirteen tracks, we’re lucky if they come out and feed us just Mudshovel.


Staind did reemerge, to our delight. “Been a long time since Springfield. So glad we can continue doing it.” They surprised me by performing the hauntingly beautiful “Something To Remind You” (Staind) while images of “lost beautiful people” flashed on the big screen behind them. Wayne Static, Chester Bennington, Dimebag Darrell, Vinnie Paul, Scott Weiland, and Jon Wysocki (Staind drummer 1995-2011) were just some of the familiar faces included in the tribute.


Then we got even more! “Right Here” (Chapter V) and “So Far Away” (14 Shades Of Grey). “Thank you so very much for sharing this evening with us. Pretty special occasion. We’re fuckin old but still kickin fuckin ass. Hope you enjoyed. God Bless.”


Staind pounded us with “Mudshovel” (Tormented and Dysfunction) to wrap the encore and were finally greeted with some resemblance of a mosh pit.


Staind is a trio of OGs: Aaron Lewis on guitar and lead vocals, Johnny April on bass and backing vocals and Mike Mushok on lead guitar. Sal Giancarelli has been handling percussion since 2011. There’s no flashy fire or massive production, but you’ll get imagery, lighting and the occasional smoke machine blast.


I find Aaron’s voice, if you love it, is the draw. He is a man of few words (especially at this gig) and doesn’t jump around or do anything flashy. He doesn’t have to. Lead guitarist Mike Mushok however, does not stop headbanging, jumping around or striking his signature pose of hunching over and holding his axe two millimeters off the ground. He may not immediately come to mind when pondering great guitarists, but this guy levels up every time I see him. I was perched in front of Mushok in the pit and it ended up being the best seat in the house.


Staind is heading out on a twenty-four date tour that runs through 10/19/26. They’ve been doing this for thirty years, a well oiled machine that still kicks ass, and they’re ready to celebrate this special anniversary with you. For You.