Let me be clear: you don’t need a kindergartner to enjoy the
latest Godsmack DVD,
Changes. More on that later.
Godsmack releases
Changes on the heels of a successful tour with Metallica,
after a successful headlining tour and three releases that have
generated plenty of radio success. Add a release of acoustic music
and you have a very busy band.
Changes takes the viewer a step closer within the band’s
inner circle. Peppered with live performances, you get each band
member telling their story. Bassist Robbie Merrill used to play in
a funk band; guitarist Tony Rombola wonders how anyone can live in
New York, as he describes the need for quiet to balance the loud on
stage. Drummer Shannon Larkin describes the bands he has been in
before summarizing his career by saying that luck has been able to
get him where he is today. Vocalist/guitarist/drummer Sully Erna
provides the nucleus of the movie, commenting on each band member
and how they each fit into the Godsmack machine. We hear the story
of how he was making pasta one day on the bus and he looked at
Larkin. They both started pounding a Led Zeppelin drumbeat. Erna
tells us this story not to prove he has psychic powers, but to
demonstrate that the band is a tight, cohesive unit. More about the
Erna/Larkin cohesion later.
We see the band rehearsing for the Faceless tour. We hear from
the lead soundman whose job is to give the band what they want. We
see Erna doing meditation and “centering” himself, a ritual he
describes as the best part of his day.
In concert, the band sounds absolutely amazing. All the radio
hits translate well into all-out rock anthems. The pyro explodes,
the crowd sings loud, the guitar solos scorch, it looks like a
great time. The songs were recorded in Philadelphia. I saw the band
in Moline, IL, in August 2004. As a witness to seeing a date from
the same tour as the concert in the DVD, I can say that if you
enjoy this DVD, you will enjoy the band live. There are 13 songs on
this DVD; they played nine songs when I saw them in Moline.
One of the highlights of the DVD is the drum solo, titled
“Batalla De Los Tambores.” Erna rides a drum platform to come face
to face with Larkin, reminescent of the classic drum battles Buddy
Rich, Gene Krupa, and other jazz greats used to demonstrate their
technique. Erna and Larkin play a duet that breaks down into
snippets of great “drum songs” like “YYZ,” “Walk this Way,” “Moby
Dick,” and “Tom Sawyer.” The energy between both drummers is high
and the sweat drips from their bodies.
From a personal standpoint, I enjoy watching this DVD because I
can watch it with my 5 year-old son. We watch the band play the
songs we’ve heard on the radio, like “Straight Out of Line” and
“Re-Align” and talk about what it is like at a concert. When I told
him that I like to go up on the balcony so I can watch the drummer
and air drum with him/her, my son replied that that made sense
because if I got tired on the floor and sat down, people would step
on me and I wouldn’t be able to see. I think when the day comes
that allows me to take him to a concert, he will beeline for the
balcony. We have talked about body surfing and how if you do that
at a concert in my area (eastern Iowa), you get passed around to
the front of the stage and then shown the door. We also talk about
how Larkin looks like an octupus with the drumming visuals he uses
to play his parts.
So, in a sense,
Changes has provided a way for my son and I to bond. This is
not a G-rated DVD, though: the F-word is used frequently when Erna
talks to the camera. There are also a couple of “potty” words that
Erna bellows from the stage so, in the spirit of full disclosure,
parents should watch the DVD and make their own decisions on what
is appropriate for their child. I’m merely commenting that, in my
case, the performances provided an unexpected avenue for bonding
with my son.
The biggest question the DVD answers is whether Godsmack will be
around forever. The band doesn’t come across as being as crazy as
Motley Crue or KISS or Van Halen or any of the legendary bands that
legends are told about. The band seems more centered on who they
are in the moment they are in, almost looking at their surroundings
with a desire to make the ride they are on last forever. I think
the band will be around for as long as they want to be. Erna
testifies that the band gives 150% whether they are in front of 5
or 500 fans. He talks about how every night is as big as playing
Chicago, New York, Boston, etc, stating the band doesn’t cater to
the “big cities” for putting on a good performance.
Already, with this DVD and the acoustic release, they are making
allowances to grow and expand their sound. From watching
Changes, I think of the band as being more than a passing
hard rock band in the same category as Chavelle, Breaking Benjamin,
Three Days Grace, or Crossfade. That is not a slam on any of those
bands — I like them all. Instead, I think of Godsmack as being
more in the vein of Collective Soul or Live — bands that will
consistently rock the crowd, create great songs, and survive the
turmoils of the music industry.
Changes is but a snapshot of the band’s career where it
stands today.
