Mass Chaos Tour Hits Laredo

On Wednesday, April 25, the Mass Chaos Tour 2012 hit the Laredo Energy Arena. Two of the most iconic names in the heavy alternative rock scene, Godsmack and Staind, were the main acts. Fans outside the stadium waited for the doors to open at 6 p.m. as the performances were scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

The stadium floor was open to fans with floor tickets; they had the opportunity to walk around the floor, since there were no seats. The fans got to experience an outside-like concert. The opening act promptly started with Man Made Machine, a 5-piece hard rock band coming from Tempe, Arizona. The band interacted and pumped the  fans for later performances, they played 5 song from their latest album "Become."

Next to take the stage was Halestrom, a 4-piece hard rock band,  who marked the beginning of the Mass Chaos Tour. Fans in the bleachers began to settle in their seats, while those who had floor access walked closer to the stage. Halestorm had positive feedback from the audience.  Lzzy, their female lead vocalist, dedicated one of their songs to all the men in the audience. Fans were jumping around feeding off the band's energy. There were many interactions with the band members and fans, as they always wanted to hear more from the band. At the end of their performance, they walked off stage into the crowd and began selling their autographed albums.

Following the end of Halestrom's performance, there was a short intermission. At 8:10 p.m., the sound of guitars and drums playing could be heard from behind the stage curtains. Fans yelled in anticipation as they knew the next band to take the stage would be Staind. They started to perform while the curtains were down, then eventually the curtains came up. The energy was felt around the stadium  as the fans began to sing along with some of the band's most popular songs.

A mosh pit formed in the middle of the arena as the band's light effects were focused on them. The band acknowledged the energy of the crowd as the mosh-pit grew and crowd surfing began. They played two of their most recognized songs; "Right Here" was first as fans settled down. It wasn't until "It's Been Awhile" when the audience sang along. Aaron Lewis, lead vocalist, stayed silent and let the fans take the lead. Fans just stood where they were sitting, and let the music and energy be absorbed throughout the arena.

The second intermission allowed fans to go get refreshments. At 10:15 p.m. a guitar was heard from behind the scenes. From that moment on, the crowd anxiously waited for the curtain to rise. A silhouette of the lead singer came out from behind the curtain, as he began performing. In between the breaks of each song, the lead singer would joke around with the audience; with each performance, the crowd's energy grew. At this point, three mosh pits were formed while water bottles were thrown everywhere. From looking at the crowd, it was hard to tell that you were in an indoor area. Everyone was just losing themselves in the hard rock music.

Towards the middle of their performance, they teased the crowd by playing cover songs. They played "We're Not Gonna Take it," by Twisted Sister, "Respect," By Pantera, and "We Will Rock You," by Queen. Fans enjoyed tribute songs that were an inspiration to for the band Godsmack. As the concert came to a close, they played one more song for the crowd to make it a night.

For more information about Mass Chaos Tour 2012, you may visit their official tour page athttp://www.masschaostour.com/or visit the Laredo Energy Arena's official website http://learena.com/

(Jose Prado may be reached at joseprado@dusty.tamiu.edu)