Stone Sour – Spark Arena August 23, 2017

It was time to wave those horns and pump those fists as Stone Sour barrelled in Auckland’s Spark Arena, urged on by a sea of black T-shirt, metal-loving fans.

“Auckland, is that you out there?” front man Corey Taylor called out as he and his bandmates took to the stage, firing off a confetti cannon.

The answer was a resounding “yes!” as band and fans moved to the solid rhythm of Taipei Person/Allah Tea, from the band’s new album Hydrograd.

When the song was over, Taylor further greeted the crowd with an expletive-laden monologue, the gist of which was, “It’s good to see all the crazy Kiwis”.

The band ripped through new numbers and old with Reborn sounding particularly heavy and visceral. Taylor stopped before Say You’ll Haunt Me to introduce the rhythm section of bassist Johnny Chow and drummer Roy Mayorga as they put a “new twist on an old song”.

A few songs later we were treated to the live premiere of Rose Red Violent Blue (This Song Is Dumb & So Am I).

The crowd was with Taylor all the way as he encouraged fist pumps and general rock & roll exuberance. The band sounded tight, although I thought it could have been a bit louder and at times, the guitar solos sounded thin in the mix.

Song #3 was a late highlight and then after Through Glass, more confetti and a few giant inflatable men appeared to preface the three-song encore.

With live shows in rather thin supply this time of year, fans found this a perfect opportunity to let off some steam and have a good time, and that’s just what they did.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Conan Fitzgerald:

Stone Sour set list:

1. Taipei Person/Allah Tea
2. Made Of Scars
3. Take A Number
4. Reborn
5. Say You’ll Haunt Me
6. 30/30 – 150
7. Bother
8. Tired
9. Rose Red Violent Blue (This Song Is Dumb & So Am I)
10. Do Me A Favor
11. Blotter
12. Get Inside
13. Song #3
14. Through Glass
15. Gone Sovereign
16. Absolute Zero
17. Fabuless