“Are you kidding me?” that was the jaw dropping feeling leaving Pine knob music theatre Tuesday night. A7X return to Pine knob was a doozey having last played the venue back in 2023 a rescheduled show from July 26, 2023. This time around A7X brought their brothers along for the ride Good Charlotte. The traffic was thick and no getting around it not even the backway in was working, it was going to be a heater! Heading in the venue it was beyond packed with folks anxiously waiting for the alter ego to hit the stage, backstage that is. A7X alter ego side project STATICA kicked the night off backstage, yes backstage with their surprise EP “STATICA” back on July 23 of this year. Fans listened to the 20-minute set while watching visuals on the huge LED screen. The 4-song EP leans towards the electronic synths, dance beats, and heavily processed, auto-tuned vocals. Tracks from the EP “Lights” “STATICA” “Rejoice” and “Ashes.” The sold-out crowd was certainly ready to let loose after that. That was pretty cool and very different.
The Maryland band Good Charlotte was ready to plug into Pine knob and give the 15,000 plus fans a double shot of electricity. Returning to Michigan after an eight-year absence last playing the Fillmore in downtown Detroit twin brothers Joel and Benji Madden and the boys didn’t waste any time opening with “The Anthem” and “Girls & Boys.” Frontman Joel Madden paused to give some love to his tourmate brothers thanking them for bringing us along for the ride. “We were friends before either of us hit it big our favorite band and we thank you!” A7X frontman M. Shadows even made a brief appearance with Good Charlotte dropping some vocals jamming along with “The River.” The 18-song set filled with high energy, nostalgic pop-punk explosion was only the being folks. The band even brings in their own backup singers from town-to-town with fans screaming word for word to all the hits including “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous.” Fans young and old showing some Michigan love jumping and throwing some horns.
The pyros brought the heat, and Good Charlotte brought the lightning with “The Young and Hopeless” and “Hold On.” The sing-a-longs were many, the roars were loud, and the Madden boys were grateful thanking the fans for listening and supporting us along the way, thank you for being patience, we love you! “Rejects” from their most recent album Motel DU Cap was a banger waiting to explode some songs are just better live. This was my first time covering Good Charlotte and it won’t be the last.
With the crowd all wound up and very antsy to keep the energy following through their veins Avenged Sevenfold was minutes away. Before hitting the stage, the sold-out crowd lit up the venue from the top of the hill all the way to the front row with blinking cell phones looking like a sea of fireflies illuminating the sky that was pretty cool. The 12-song set opened with “Nightmare” which hasn’t been played live since 2016. Right out of the gates the army took over singing right along with M. Shadows which by the way put in some serious work tonight with STATICA, and joining in with Good Charlotte on “The River.” Following “Nightmare” with “Magic” from “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.” draining the power grid on this one and probably causing a brown out with the locals in the area. A7X setlist was a celebration of the bands 26-year career, and the 75-minute set just wasn’t long enough.
Highlights from the evening with A7X guitarist Synster Gates and lefty Zacky Vengence displaying some sick licks and vocals with “Buried Alive,” and “M.I.A.” and “Unholy Confessions” also coming with a drum solo. One would have to pinch their self to see if this is real or just a wild dream. That right there was worth the price of admission. A couple of my favs from the night were “Hail to the King” and “Shepherd of Fire” both reminding you of Metallica. M. Shadows strong voice carried into the night while Synyster Gates with blistering solos. This show was definitely one for the books and clearly the show of the year at pine knob. Other classic hits from the night included “Nobody,” Life Is But a Dream” off their eight-studio album in 2023.
A7X closed out the night on the slower side of things with “Cosmic” which featured one last guitar rip to close out a banger of a night in Michigan. This was also a first for me covering A7X and it won’t be my last. The tour came with different sounds that oddly enough came together nicely. The tour is wild and confusing and worth the trip to a city near you and see for yourself that opposites attract can come together. “Horns up, America! Keep rocking!”
