Sevendust and Gemini Syndrome stopped in the music venue Woolys in Des Moines, IA on August 6, 2014 as part of their summer tour. Rounding out the bill on this leg of the tour was Kansas City-based band Sidewise and Boston-based band Crash Midnight. Local Des Moines area band Green Death opened the show.
On a Wednesday night, Woolys was about half full with a wide range of rockers in attendance (old and young as it was an all-ages show), many of them wearing Sevendust shirts. No doubt, we knew who the crowd came to see.
Gemini Syndrome is no stranger to Des Moines, visiting last in February when they played with RED and Emphatic. In our last review of Gemini Syndrome, we only saw a bit of head bobbing in response to their set. They seemed to have stepped up their game, sounding much more polished this time around. And they clearly made some fans at the previous show as the crowd burst into a mosh pit the minute they hit the stage. Gemini Syndrome offered a nice warm-up to Sevendust.
One huge lesson they could teach some other bands is their willingness to interact with their fans. Between sets, you saw members of Gemini Syndrome roaming the venue, stamping fans’ arms with their symbol and just taking the time to talk to them. They truly understand the concept of making “one fan at a time.”
Sevendust hit the stage shortly after Gemini Syndrome pulled off, and the crowd was ready for them. The mosh pit was in full force, the energy never waned throughout their entire set.
Lajon Witherspoon appeared an intimidating, muscular man. He’s actually less of a man, more of a beast on stage, especially with his growling, screaming vocals. His confidence is evident and his charisma no doubts kept his fans enticed.
Morgan Rose, founding member of Sevendust and often heralded for his drumming abilities, is a hard hitting drummer, and he mirrored the same energy level Witherspoon has.
Sevendust played a solid hour+ set playing mostly their hardest hits including Denial, Enemy and Decay. Interestingly enough, especially to the Iowa crowd (which this fact Witherspoon announced before playing the song), Decay was filmed at a mansion in Iowa. Besides the harder stuff Sevendust also offered a sampling of their lighter work including the song Angel’s Son.
While it would have been an extra special treat to hear a few more Sevendust tracks considering they have released nine-plus albums, it’s likely very few Sevendust fans walked away from the show disappointed. It was a solid set, with the high energy that fans have come to expect from a Sevendust show.
CLICK HERE for more pics of Sevendust from this show.
CLICK HERE for more pics of Gemini Syndrome from this show.
For more about Gemini Syndrome visit:
http://www.geminisyndrome.com/
https://www.facebook.com/geminisyndrome
https://twitter.com/GeminiSyndrome
For more about Sevendust visit:
Review of @Sevendust & @GeminiSyndrome @Woolysdm #DesMoines..http://t.co/demEXmBdHj
RT @ScreamerMags: SEVENDUST/GEMINI SYNDROME – Live, Des Moines, IA. Read it here http://t.co/FMRv5LCRmz