Staind rock homecoming at Tsongas Arena

Staind returned to familiar ground on Sunday night. Touring in support of their recent release, The Illusion of Progress, the Springfield, Massachusetts natives made their first homecoming gig since its release count at Lowell’s Tsongas Arena. It was a lean-show, clocking in at roughly seventy-five minutes, with a focus on showcasing more of the band’s familiar hits than their new tunes.

Staind, comprised of singer Aaron Lewis, guitarist Mike Mushok, drummer Jon Wysocki and bassist Johnny April, have developed a strong catalog filled with post-grunge mid-tempos and hard rockers with power ballads to boot. Sunday’s show was formatted to mix all of the above with a range of material culled from their decade-long career. Surprisingly, songs from The Illusion of Progress were left out of that mix in an unexpected move, but one that seemed welcomed by the near-capacity crowd

As a black curtain covering the stage dropped, Staind were given a hero’s welcome. Kicking the set off with "Suffocate", the band made an immediate ode to their past by performing the lead single off their 1998 album Dysfunction. "Falling" followed but it was "Right Here" – which featured an animated Mushok on both acoustic and electric guitars – that marked the first of many sing-alongs.

The band’s lone new material performed on Sunday included "All I Want" and lead single "Believe". Both faired very well, matching up favorably with more established crowd favorites like "Fade", "So Far Away", and "It’s Been Awhile".

Halfway through the set, Lewis shined brightly during a solo acoustic rendition of "Epiphany". It was a stirring performance that showcased his exceptional vocal range – and served as a nice preview of what his solo shows can be like (fyi – he’ll reprise those solo tours early next year, with a stop at Mohegan Sun already announced). His bandmates returned and launched into the angst ridden "For You", another set standout. Next was "Tolerate", the hard rocking cut from their 1996 debut album Tormented, which sparked a mosh pit for fans on the floor.

The crowd was engaged all night but Lewis still prompted them to lend their voices for the band’s biggest ballad, "Outside". While introducing the band’s mainstream breakthrough, Lewis stated, "You can all sing-along if you want." The crowd obliged, singing loudly and adorning the arena with lighters and/or cell phones, promoting the band to even clap for the crowd at its finish.

As the show came to a close, Lewis thanked the crowd for their support. "I gotta say, there is nothing like coming home to Massachusetts," he proclaimed. "You have been around the longest and are still the best fucking crowd. We’re forever grateful, it’s so cool to play in front of you." With that, the band capped the set off with their signature rocker, "Mudshovel". At the end, Lewis dropped the microphone, waved to the crowd, and exited. He and his bandmates would not return, however.

The lack of an encore was surprising to some – half the crowd hit the exits while the other half hoped the band would extend the show for their hometown fans – but the truth was that nothing could eclipse what had already been played. Pacing the set to include a few more new (or older) songs earlier in the night would have been welcomed and allowed for the encore. Still, as the band left, so did the fans; each in good spirits.

Seether’s opening set grew stronger as it progressed. Led by singer and guitarist Shaun Morgan (sporting red hair), the South Africa-based rockers were very well received by the crowd. Their set began to take off with their 2002 breakthrough hit "Fine Again". That was followed by an acoustic rendition of "Broken" – featuring Morgan with guitarist Troy McLawhorn. The band paid tribute to Alice in Chains with a faithful cover of "Nutshell" before closing out the set with two of their own hits "Fake It" and "Remedy".

Also on the bill were Papa Roach, who are gearing up for their forthcoming album Metamorphosis, which is due sometime next year.