Shinedown at Cross Arena in Portland Maine

On April 18, 2022, the people were buzzing with exhilaration as they entered Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine. The night was destined to be full of wonder and thrills. The nights line up is expected to be filled with energy from three amazing acts.

The first act is Diamante, a strong rocker with a soulful voice. Her songs are easily relatable and easy to connect to the audience with. Diamante is originally from Boston, Massachusetts. She was Originally signed with Better Noise Music but left them in 2020, at the same time she released her new single “Obvious”. The minute she entered the stage the energy was there. The crowd started eating her set up the minute the music started, Diamante opened up her set with her song “Ghost Myself” from her 2021 album American Dream. She then graced the audience with “Haunted” and “American Dream”. The highlight of her set was her final song, a cover of the well-loved song “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls.

Diamante @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-2

Diamante @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-3

Diamante @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-4

Diamante @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-8

Diamante @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser

Diamante @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-6

Diamante @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-5

Diamante @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-7

Diamante @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-9

The second band to open up is The Pretty Reckless. They are fronted by former actress and heavy metal enthusiast Taylor Momsen. Taylor came on stage dressed in a leather jacket and Black lingerie. They opened up their set with a cover of Soundgarden’s “Loud Love,” “Since you’re Gone” and “Death by Rock and Roll” which is also the title track of their latest album. Taylor at one point mentions to the Portland, Maine crowd that the album was actually recorded in the grate state of Maine. The crowd began to get excited and cheer loudly. Their set was packed full of hits from their Death By Rock and Roll album. They even threw in some of the bands earlier songs such as “Make Me Want to Die,” “Going to Hell” and “Take Me Down”. The Pretty Reckless is a performance you definitely should to to catch the next time their in your area.

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-3

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-2

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-14

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-4

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-6

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-5

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-8

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-7

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-10

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-9

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-11

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-13

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-12

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-15

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-16

The Pretty Reckless @ Cross Arena - photo by Robert Fraser-17

The next band is the headliner of the night Shinedown a heavy grungy-hard rock group that adds a flare of pop into their songs. Led by front man Brent Smith. To open their set their were giant screens portraying the band and crew in a behind the scenes type of video loading in gear to a concert venue. Shortly after the lights went out and the shadows of the four members began to walk out to the front of the stage. They opened up their nineteen song set with “The Saints of Violence and Innuendo” a track off of the bands latest album Planet Zero which was originally set to be released April 22nd 2022. But due to delays in CD and vinyl productions the date was pushed back to July 1st 2022. They then played the hit song “Devil” from the album Attention Attention.

During the song there were huge flames coming from the stage which got the crowd to jump a bit. Their set included songs from just about all of their seven album. At one point they played a cover of the Foo Fighters song “Wheels” and dedicated it to the recently passed Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins with a picture of Taylor on the main video screen. The energy the band gave off was electric with all the flames and fireworks from start to finish. Their will be more opportunities to catch Shinedown in the coming months as they have added dates to the already massive Planet Zero World Tour.