Godsmack, Arenele Romane, 01.04.2019

What a crazy night! We’ve been dying to see this guys for ages, and it seemed like the stars had aligned against us (or them?). First in 2012, the band cancelled the tour that included Romania because Sully got sick. Then in 2015, we had to leave the show early, right before Godsmack got on stage, because my husband got sick. Then in 2018, again they cancelled the tour because Tony, their guitarist, suffered a tragedy and lost his child. Finally, FINALLY, the other night, we had the pleasure of seeing these awesome guys live. 

When you build up expectations over such a long time, things are bound to be underwhelming, if not downright disappointing. Not to mention that the level of obsession directed at Godsmack in 2012, when we were near the height of our fandom, diminished in time as we started listening to more varied bands and Godsmack themselves had change of heart (and style). But nop, nothing could overshadow out enthusiasm last night. It was such a kick-ass night, even better than we expected. 

For one, the setlist was great. My husband was worried they might focus more on their newer and more mellow songs, but that was definitely not the case. They played all (most) of our favourites from back in the day and even the tracks from their last albums were cherry-picked to fit the atmosphere of a live concert as best as possible. With the exception of Under your scars, which tempered the atmosphere a bit and showed a different side of the band (as Sully talked about the creation of their foundation, meant to help battle depression and suicide) all the other moments were 1000hp. Yes, I am very bad at puns. Anyway, the drum solo was fantastic, one of the most entertaining I’ve ever seen (I’ll admit I rarely find drum solos that I truly enjoy and don’t feel like the musicians are simply showing off and passing time, but this was one of them). And the good nature and delight continued long after Godsmack left the stage, as we were walking home singing Straight out of line (semi)loudly. No, there wasn’t anyone else around, we’re not raised in a cave. 

And this brings me to my second point, which is how awesome and jovial  the members of Godsmack are. Time passed over them (I can’t believe Sully is 51 years old!), they have specks of gray hair (although said 51-old still has what to show when he inevitably takes his shirt off), but man they are having a ton a fun on stage! And the best part is they how they manage to pass it along. There was a girl in front of me that seemed like the most nitpicky person in the world. Everyone was jumping around ecstatically, but she was constantly scoffing, asking people to move so she can have the perfect view, complaining that she can’t see, that someone moved in front of her, this guy is tall, that guy is filming. 30 minutes into the show she was smiling, headbanging and completely ignoring everything she was previously yapping about. And no, nothing had changed. People were still tall, still filming, it was still crowded. She just… succumbed to the bug. It was just too much fun to stay upset and if that’s not representative of the power of Godsmack and their good cheer, I don’t know what is. 

A special mention for Sully’s faultless voice. Almost all metal singers are great live, but few manage to sound like you’ve just put up a recording of their tracks. It’s just not possible to replicate the conditions of a studio recording, with good sound, careful mixing and no jumping around. Unless you’re Sully Erna, that is, then it’s perfectly possible. The man is like a machine, he didn’t miss a beat even though he was singing, playing guitar, playing drums, taking off his clothes, talking to the audience and bouncing around. Very impressive. 

The level of energy was sky-high, in the music, in the band’s attitude and, obviously in the crowd. Of course they applauded us for out enthusiasm and pointed out we were the best crowd ever and the best place to finish their tour and that they’ll tell their US fans they’re pussies compared to us. I bet they tell that to all the girls. I mean audiences. But who cares, you can see they truly enjoyed being there and they were genuinely trying to work up the public and get us involved. They even played a cover of Highway to hell as the final song, because why the fuck not? They do that sometimes, but it’s not regularly on the setlist, it’s just for the crowds that don’t want to go home. 

And if anyone wasn’t ready to go home, it was us. There was no weariness, no boredom, I stoically ignored the heat and the crowd and the pain setting in my back and neck and had an amazing evening. Lots of jumping and headbanging, as always, and even more yelling and singing along than the usual. Two days later, I’m still pretty hoarse, but I’d be lying to say it wasn’t worth every second. They promised they will return in their next tour, and all I can say is they’d better keep their word!