On September 17th, 2024- Skillet and Seether performed in Asheville NC at Harrah’s Cherokee Center with special guests: Tim Montana and Royale Lynn. This show was so nerve wrecking for me honestly because I grew up listening to Skillet and Seether. The night was unforgettable and I wish I could honestly relive those moments from that night! And it was also the first night of the tour!
Royale Lynn opened the night! I didn’t know who this musician was, but I support any woman that creates music and I believe that women deserve the spotlight in the music industry. I am not a huge fan of country, but I gave her a chance because like I said; I love when young artists, especially women are getting huge opportunities like this. All I can say about her performance was that I would come to this tour everyday just to see her perform. She sang her version of a Flyleaf song “All Around Me” and she also creates music about mental health as well. She also performed songs with Danny Worsnop from Asking Alexandria and David Draiman from Disturbed. I was not expecting her to be a complete rockstar on stage. Her mental health song she wrote is called “Deathwish” and she made a speech before performing the song thanking those who aid those in need everyday and that mental health is very important. She is a mixture of Evanescence and Flyleaf and I am here for it!
Tim Montana was next! I never listened to this musician before so I had no idea what I was expecting. After the show I did some research on the musician and I learned that he has a very beautiful heart because he became involved with the welfare of military veterans who suffer from PTSD. And he also teamed up with Gibson Guitar to have a guitar auctioned to raise money for Guardians of Heroes Foundation! He was able to raise $117,500 which is insane in my eyes because I wish I was able to raise that amount of money for any foundation. His performance was insane as well! He was also very funny and stated that he lived in a trailer from 8 years old to 18 I believe with no electricity because of poverty. He made a whole joke about it and had the crowd laughing! Tim Montana recently released their newest album “Savage” in July of 2024 and the number one song on there currently is “Devil You Know” with over 2 million plays on spotify! I never listened to this band before, so I don’t know what songs they played during their set, but they were a fun bunch to watch perform!
It was time for Skillet and I loved this band for so long. I just didn’t approve that they performed at Capulet Fest this year when the promoter of the event lied and deceived hundreds of attendees. And refused to give refunds and a true explanation. I understand bands have contracts in place when events occur, but at the same time attendees are the reason why shows happen. Without attendees; there are no shows because without attendees there’s no support. Besides that whole incident; I love this band and they created music throughout the years that helped me through my teenage years. I used to play their songs on Rock Band with my friends pretending we were rock stars. I would have never guessed 14 years later I would be photographing the band and finally seeing them live. I remember when the album “Awake” was released in 2009 and my favorite song from that album was “Monster” and that song instantly became one of their most popular songs! I still listen to that song 15 years later! The band formed in 1996 which is mind blowing because I was born 3 years prior. So this band is almost as old as people and they are still creating and performing! The band consists of: John Cooper (Lead Vocals) , Korey Cooper (Keyboards/Back Vocals) , Jen Ledger (Drums) , Seth Morrison (Lead Guitar) and touring musician Tate Olsen (Cello) Throughout their set; Cooper was very vocal between songs and had no problem talking to the younger fans! And stating that politics is useless and at the end of the day no matter what party you vote for; Music will be the same and that he will support you! And also spoke about loving Jesus Christ which I am not religious, but I appreciate him not preaching to everyone about it. He talked about that no matter what anyone believes in; he will still support you. The band performed; “Feel Invincible” , “Rise” , “Awake and Alive” , “Hero” and “Monster”
Seether was up next and I have never been so excited before because I grew up listening to this band. My mother used to play their songs all the time when I was a child and to finally photograph them and see them live for the first time; My nerves were through the roof. I was so nervous because I wanted to make sure I get good photos of this band, so I can print them out for my mother as a gift. So yeah; I was very nervous and I tried to remain focused throughout the set. My favorite songs by this band are: “Broken” , “Remedy” , “Fake It” , and “Gasoline” Seether formed in 1999 in Pretoria, Gauteng consisting of; Shaun Morgan (Vocals) , Dale Stewart (Bass) , John Humphrey (Drums) , and Corey Lowery (Lead Guitar) Seether opened up with “Gasoline” and played songs such as: “Remedy” , “Broken” , and my all time favorite “Rise Above This” and sadly during their set; I barely could breathe due to how much the fog machine was being used, so I left the pit after the 2nd song due to be coughing a lot. There wasn’t that much movement during their set compared to Skillet’s, but that’s what made it just as great honestly. Sometimes you just want to enjoy the show and the set is not so erratic and crazy! Once they performed “Broken”, I couldn’t help myself, but sang along to every single word with a random person in the crowd! And I loved seeing the younger generation in the crowd singing along too because I grew up listening to these songs, so it’s honestly amazing!
The show was one for the books for me! Besides getting sick from the show, It’s one of the shows that I’ll forever remember!
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