Aaron Lewis has played every hole in the wall across the country, and spanned across different styles and genres, but never lost in translation is his love for his northeast home, Worthington, Massachusetts, making his returns to New England always a must see event.
The sold out crowd at Boston’s House of Blues was electric after opening performances by Travis Martin and Alex Williams, buzzing with anticipation of what’s to come. The lights went dim and the famous Johnny Cash song, ‘God’s Gonna Cut You Down’ played over the speakers, a nod to outlaw country singers of the past, and at last Aaron greeted the crowd. “We’re gonna start this right,” he proclaimed, and began reciting the pledge of allegiance, displaying his deep patriotism. “You ready?” came through his snarled smile, and to the crowds pleasure, beginning the night with arguably his most popular song, ‘Country Boy.’
True to the name of the tour, Lewis started rattling off songs from his latest album, ‘Sinner,’ including the title track, ‘Northern Redneck,’ Mama,’ and ‘Sunday Every Saturday Night,’ mixed among songs from prior albums, ’75,’ ‘Granddaddy’s Gun,’ and a Staind classic, ‘Right Here,’ which was well received by the audience, singing every line right back to the former heavy metal front man.
“I finally made it through beer two, so now I can drink whiskey,” joked Lewis, “Speaking of, I heard this next song for the first time after drinking too much whiskey, pretty sure a fifth on stage that night. It was my friends birthday backstage after a show, and the song started playing. I had drank just enough to be emotional, and started crying when I listened to it, to the point that I had to leave the room. It was awkward, but there’s always a reason if I record somebody else’s song.” A powerful rendition of Chris Stapleton’s ‘Whiskey and You’ brought a huge applause from the crowd, and the reaction from his fans only grew as he proceeded to end the night with his most recent hit ‘That Ain’t Country,’ a song strictly saved for homecoming performances, ‘Massachusetts,’ and arguably the biggest hit of his career, Staind classic, ‘It’s Been Awhile.’ “Do you know how many places I’ve played this song in this city? Places that aren’t even standing anymore.” After a thank you he slowly faded off the stage, but nobody moved an inch.
The entire House of Blues was cheering for his return, even some crowd surfing could be seen across the general admission floor, and when he finally returned, he was greeted with an enormous applause. A song about his home state, neighborhood, and his family, ‘The Story Never Ends’ was a perfect fit for an encore, but left the veteran rocker visibly emotional, as the crowd took over the last verse and chorus for him. A short break from the stage, and Lewis returned once again, “Lets totally change the vibe up here,” and that he did, as he rattled off Staind hits, fellow rockers Seether’s hit ‘Careless Whisper,’ ‘Shameless’ by The Weeknd, and classics ‘American Pie,’ ‘Brown Eyed Girl,’ Wanted Dead or Alive,’ and a chorus of ‘Sweet Caroline,’ a nod to the famous ballpark across the street. “Thank you for making me feel so welcome in my home state of Massachusetts,” declared Lewis, as he began the last song of the night, ‘Outside.’ The final bows ensued, and the lights turned on as fans shuffled out the door, all describing the unbelievable event that had just taken place. Lewis has always found a way to make his New England shows something special, and if you weren’t able to get a ticket this time around, he will return to Foxwoods Resort & Casino in Mashantucket, CT on May 28th, and you can find tickets for that must see performance here.