Before going back into the studio to record their next album, multi-platinum rock band Godsmack headlined Musikfest on the Sands Steel Stage at the SteelStacks in Bethlehem on Wednesday, Aug. 9, delivering a career-spanning set that went back almost 20 years.
Following sets by hard rock bands Another Day Dawns from Lehighton and Like a Storm from New Zealand, the Boston quartet opened with the title track from their latest album, 2014’s “1000hp,” as bursts of fire raged behind them. Godsmack didn’t let up for 11 songs until transitioning into the entertaining double drum battle that has become a regular part of their shows, ending with “Whatever” before an acoustic encore that paid tribute to Chester Bennington of Linkin Park and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Temple of the Dog; both singers recently took their own lives.
“We just decided to do this today. We never really rehearsed this, but we wanted to do something for you guys, and we wanted to do something in honor of our friends that have left us with some beautiful music on this planet. So I think this one is going to kind of speak for itself,” frontman Sully Erna said before going into Linkin Park hit “Crawling,” following up with Temple of the Dog’s “Hunger Strike,” sparking sing-alongs among the crowd of thousands.
Closing with No. 1 hit “I Stand Alone” from “The Scorpion King” soundtrack, Erna promised that Godsmack would be back with their “biggest, baddest” album yet, and after a night of badass rock, it seems that everyone there on Wednesday will be ready and waiting for it.
Godsmack setlist, Aug. 9, 2017, Musikfest, SteelStacks, Bethlehem:
1000hp
The Enemy
Cryin’ Like a Bitch
Straight Out of Line
Realign
Awake
Something Different
Generation Day
Keep Away
Love Hate Sex Pain
Voodoo
Batalla de los Tambores
Whatever
Encore:
Crawling (acoustic Linkin Park cover)
Hunger Strike (acoustic Temple of the Dog cover)
I Stand Alone
See NEPA Scene’s photos of the original lineup of Live playing at Musikfest just two days before here.
