A huge night of rock n’ roll kicked off with Sydney’s own Bare Bones, who boasted hard rock swagger in tight leather jackets and ripped jeans. With their testosterone-driven stage personae and absurdly loud volume, Bare Bones played tightly and showed off a very strong sense of musicianship between them. Their bravado was perfectly fitted to preceding modern rock icons that headlined.
Once the band members of Stone Sour took their positions on stage, out came dynamic frontman Corey Taylor, jovial as ever; prancing his way around the stage, waving his hair around, firing confetti guns. There was an abundance of interaction with the crowd, who were in the palm of his hand from the first instant. At one point during the encore, Taylor showed that not all heroes wear capes and stopped their encore to sort out a medical emergency in the pit.
Stone Sour have had a fire in their bellies since Chad Kroeger stirred them up by calling the band “Nickelback Lite”. However, it seems as if Taylor and company brushed this insult right off his shoulder, delivering an explosive, fierce performance which was as loud as the colours on their guitars. After twenty years of being a band, they’re more comfortable than ever in their stage presence and are clearly super stoked to still be playing music together.
The band were not ready to dwell on nostalgia. They showed off how proud they are with the present state of their career as they opened and closed with tracks ‘Taipei Person/Allah Tea’ and ‘Fabuless’ from their new album Hydrograd. This concert wasn’t all about waiting for ‘Through Glass’ and tolerating the new stuff; rather, the audience was passionately singing along and head-banging to every track across the Stone Sour catalogue. The crowd handled half of the singing on their oldie ‘Bother’ as Taylor stood humbled by their enthusiasm. With other old favourites ‘Get Inside’ and ‘30/30-150’ stacked up against newer cult favourites such as ‘Tired’ and ‘Do Me A Favour’, their set was a well-curated celebration of a long career.
The band’s energy mirrored the crowd’s, and the two fed off one another, creating an electrifying atmosphere. Stone Sour were not there to win anyone over or care about any preconceived opinions towards them: they were there to rock, and rock they did.
Stone Sour hit the Hordern Pavilion on Saturday August 26.
