Avenged Sevenfold And Good Charlotte Make The Perfect Pair at Mystic Lake Amphitheater

Yesterday somehow went from one of the most challenging days of my life to one of the best. It was a rollercoaster ride to say the least. I woke up dreading work because I knew I had to face the fact that my co-worker had passed away, and this would be the first day at the day job when he wasn’t there. The entire day was full of co-workers slowly walking around and periodically stepping outside to cry, scream, or do whatever they needed to cope. It was rough and, by the time it was over, all I wanted to do was go home to cry and sleep, but that wasn’t an option. There was a show happening across town at the amazing Mystic Lake Amphitheater, and I didn’t have a bunch of time to decompress before leaving for it. I was still in a funk as I drove through the Twin Cities to get to the suburbs, but once I landed, parked the car, and took a deep breath, I finally realized what was about to happen. Sure, the day had been rough, and I cried more times than I’d like to admit, but I was about to take photographs of the band that started it all. It was a full-circle moment, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

It was absolutely a scorcher on Monday in the Twin Cities, so I opted to conserve my energy and stick to the shadows during Jayden Hammer’s opening DJ set, but that didn’t mean I didn’t feel the energy that this LA-based DJ brought to the stage and audience. From Bring Me the Horizon to Nine Inch Nails, we heard a little bit of everything. Jayden did a great job of playing music that was adjacent to what we would hear later on in the evening while getting creative with it. Although I didn’t have eyes on her throughout the set, I loved that I could feel her amp the crowd up the way she was meant to as an opening act.

After a few tracks from Jayden, the audience was treated to a surprise set of sorts. It wasn’t really advertised, but up next was an album playthrough of Avenged Sevenfold’s brand new EP, ‘STATICA.’ Honestly, I only knew that this was happening due to the press around the previous show just a few nights ago, which kicked this tour off in Missouri. It was kind of weird. Because it was still super bright and sunny out, there was really no way to signal that a band was performing, especially since there was no band on stage. The giant LED screen behind and to the sides of the stage just showed the word “STATICA,” and then you started hearing music. The music was a front-to-back playthrough of this brand-new 4-song EP, with the band remaining concealed behind the giant LED wall. Different images flashed across the screen as people went about their night. I feel like people didn’t get it. Some had clearly been paying attention and knew exactly what was happening, but the majority of the audience seemed to think that this was just a break as the stage got set for the next act. I’m not sure why the band decided to play from behind the wall, and I hate that my mind instantly went to the idea that maybe they weren’t even playing and had purely pressed play on their EP, but I digress. Truthfully, Avenged Sevenfold isn’t my band. Although they closed out the night, they weren’t the reason I needed this show. They weren’t the reason that my palms were sweating, and anxiety was taking over. The reason for that was the next band that was going to grace the stage.

I don’t care if this is an uncool thing to say, but Good Charlotte is one of my all-time favorite bands. They aren’t just a band that is a staple in my daily playlist; they are a band that truly made me who I am. They are the reason I am a vegetarian, the reason I wear a brass knuckle necklace daily, the reason I have giant stars tattooed on my shoulders, and, honestly, are the reason I am alive. I really think that Good Charlotte is the band that sent me on this trajectory of being music-obsessed decades ago. I won’t get super deep into it and promise to try and keep my bias out of this review, but, truly, Good Charlotte is the band for me. I’ve only ever gotten to catch them live four previous times, and this time I was going to be within mere feet of my idols. I was going to be snapping pictures of them as they played through three songs, but I knew those pictures weren’t the highlight for me. The highlight was being able to stand in that photo pit and realize just how far I had come since sitting in my room and obsessing over this band, just dreaming of being able to find some sort of footing in the music industry. To say that this was a full circle moment for me would be an understatement and the fact that it came when everything around me felt so gloomy and sad couldn’t have been more perfect.

Good Charlotte kicked their set off with “The Anthem,” which came complete with balls of fire shooting into the air. It was an anthemic and iconic way to kick off a set and, to a fair-weathered fan, maybe a surprise because this song is definitely one of their bigger hits, but, when it comes to this band, I feel like you kind of forget just how many hits they have. They played all of those, along with some more B-side kind of songs, in their eighteen-song set. Although I’m still holding out hope that I get to see them play “Festival Song” live at least once before they hang it up, or I retire from this life (neither of which will be happening soon, I hope), I loved that I got to hear “The Motivation Proclamation” and “Predictable.” Being able to sing through their new song “Rejects” and get to hear “The River” with M Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold (who assists in the song) was perfect. Really, I could go through every single song of their set list and tell you how amazing it is, but what’s the point in that (and would you even read it?). Long story short, after over thirty years as a band, Good Charlotte still has it, and they proved it on Monday night. They proved it with the music and the way the new songs seemed to hit just as perfectly as the old ones. They proved it with the way they addressed the crowd and wholeheartedly thanked everyone for all of their support over the years. And it was the way they made me forget about all of the sadness and tragedy that I had been lost in for the past couple of days. Okay, I know I’m a bit biased here, but really, what a perfectly engaging, perfectly flawless-sounding, perfectly perfect kind of set.

Truthfully, I could have left after Good Charlotte. I was somehow feeling completely energized and completely drained all at the same time, but I never leave a show early, and I knew that the opportunity to photograph a band as large as Avenged Sevenfold was not something to pass on. Avenged Sevenfold is a hard rock band from California. They have been around since 1999 and have definitely had their highs and lows throughout their career. No matter how low the lows got, this band never gave up, even though their music may not be for me; that stamina and that love for the art is absolutely something I can get behind.

Everything about Avenged Sevenfold’s set felt larger-than-life, but at the same time, it felt intimate and cozy, which, I know, is such a weird thing to say about a show taking place in a super large amphitheater that can hold nearly 20,000 people, but somehow, they pulled the feeling off. Like Good Charlotte, Avenged Sevenfold (also referred to as A7X, which is so much quicker to type and say, so that’s what I’ll use from here on out) didn’t hold back. They opened their set with one of their biggest hits (“Nightmare”) before moving through a setlist that spanned nearly the entirety of their storied, eight full-length album career. I wasn’t able to sign along to much outside of “Nightmare” and their third-to-last track, “Bat Country,” but I was alone in that camp. This band had the entire audience singing, no, scratch that, screaming along to every song. Even the wicked guitar solos that were sprinkled throughout their set were accompanied by audience members singing along to said guitar solos. I loved how digestible the sounds coming from the stage were, but also how they definitely showcased the talent of this band. The guitar solos were easy to listen to and easy to follow, but you could tell that they took practice and definitely had talent behind them. Some of the drum breaks (including a drum solo that ended “Unholy Confessions”) proved that, although the drummer was situated away from the band for the most part (he started on the floor behind a screen before raising high above the stage in his own little world), he was the heartbeat of this band and nothing was going to stop him as he led this band through a triumphant and powerful set.

Good Charlotte is my band, and I got lost in that set like it was nobody’s business. I loved the fact that I could close my night out with a set where I was watching the people around me do the exact same thing to a band that meant everything to them. I walked into this show with zero expectations when it came to A7X. Again, I really thought about leaving before their set and just blaming the heat for getting the best of me and forcing me to head out early. I’m glad I didn’t do that. Although their music may not be the soundtrack that has saved my life on numerous occasions, I get it. I understood the appeal and quickly figured out that, although their metal-leaning hard rock sound isn’t for me, their message is, and that message is one of love, community, and passion.

I should have a lot more to say about this show. I feel like I have a lot of words here, but I really didn’t lay out what the show was really like for you all, but, honestly, I don’t care. I need this show. I needed to remember how far I’ve come and feel that sense of accomplishment and nostalgia while continuing to look ahead. Life gets hard. Some moments are harder than others, and some will destroy you. When things get super rough, like when you don’t know what to do and you feel like nothing is worth it, nothing is working, nothing is okay, it can be hard to know where to turn. I have always turned to music, and I will continue to do so because of feelings like the ones I had on Monday night.