With its exquisite architecture, intimate space and vibrant acoustics, is there a better venue to attend a concert in Louisville than the Palace Theatre?
Rock band 3 Doors Down doesn’t think so.
And Thursday night, their loyal fans agreed.
Though not filled to capacity, there was a solid crowd in the historic theatre, mostly 30-and 40-somethings who blossomed with the band in the late 1990’s; but alongside them, teens who knew the words to every song, and retirees who used to secretly jam to their kids’ tunes though they grumbled about them in the open.
The band, on the road with their Songs from the Basement Tour since November, made Louisville the final stop of the journey. They now head back into the studio, where they have already begun work on their next album.
Front man Brad Arnold, clad in his Louisville Slugger tee, invited the crowd to have fun and to do things a little different at this show because, with its four onstage couches (along with a few lucky fans who enjoyed those cushy seats) and a Wicked Witch of the West Leg Lamp, the acoustically formatted concert is a little different. “And if you feel like running up and down the aisles in your underwear…well…don’t do that. I mean—we won’t mind—but someone might.” With that admonishment, the group was off and running.
It is clear that with 3 Doors Down, music is the focus. The band is full of talented musicians, something that becomes blatantly obvious when all the accoutrements of traditional concert settings are stripped away, leaving only the notes and the words. But aside from Arnold, the group is severely lacking in stage presence. Save for him, no one spoke to the audience; they hardly even acknowledged each other. Bass player Justin Biltonen, his eyes shielded by a baseball cap, barely looked up from his guitar the whole night.
Intermingled with fan favorites like Loser, Be Like That, Kryptonite, and Not My Time, 3DD took advantage of the acoustic format to fulfill some items on their personal bucket lists, playing one of Arnold’s all-time favorites, a soulful rendition of Garth Brooks’ The Dance.
And when Arnold, the only original member still with the group, announced that they were going “old school,” and the first chords of Duck and Run were strummed, the entire audience rose in a wave—and remained standing for the rest of the hour and 20 minute set.
What began with a canceled opening act (Jamie N. Commons) ended with a rocking encore as 3 Doors Down proved why they have weathered nearly twenty years in the music industry. Good music and true talent can withstand the test of time. And these Doors haven’t closed just yet.
Image: Courtesy of 3 Doors Down via Facebook
