Three Days Grace // 10 Years // Live Review // The O2 Academy // Birmingham

As always, I found myself heading back to the home of metal (The O2 Academy, Birmingham) for another night of loud rock and roll. The night’s show was Three Day’s Grace with support from 10 Years. Upon arrival, it was business as usual at the o2 Academy with no one knowing where I needed to wait and once that issue was sorted, the ridiculously long wait for only support act began.

After the wait, 10 Years took to the stage with the crowd’s excitement building while my heart sank when I saw the abysmal lighting. What proceeded was a set I heard and wish I got to see but the rampage of strobe lighting and no front lighting made shooting an absolute nightmare. The band’s performance was tight and precise, and they’re good at what they do. Time to catch my breath and recharge before the main act, I headed outside to have a quick cigarette before the main event.

Listen to the latest studio album, Violent Allies, via Spotify HERE.

I headed back in for the main event. The audience made the room sound like a battlefield from cheers alone when the band took to the stage. Three Days Grace unleashed hit after hit to start their set and pairing this with the band’s phenomenal stage presence got the crowd moving effortlessly with pits erupting left right and centre. The relentlessness of Animal I Have Become, Home and Pain were a genius idea as the audience was putty in the band’s hands from that moment on. A truly great set that shows how timeless so many songs can be when good musicians are together, and a hell of a way to send off the UK leg of the tour.

After the show, I did my usual routine of grabbing dinner and a bus home. Despite not feeling the first band of the night, it made me happy to see the room love both bands’ performances and highlighted my favourite thing about music: how vastly different each person’s tastes are. Music is a completely personal experience and that’s what both bands gave to those in attendance, experiences they’ll cherish for years to come.