Saturday night, three awesome bands rocked the stage at Albany's Times Union Center. Sevendust, Three Days Grace and Avenged Sevenfold all performed and put on an amazing show individually and as a whole.

Atlanta, Georgia quintet Sevendust opened the show for the thousands of fans that packed the arena. It was my second time seeing them (the first was at the Disturbed/Korn show in January) and they were just as good this time. Frontman Lajon Witherspoon has an insane voice and a ton of energy, and his vocals were backed by all four members. Drummer Morgan Rose showed a lot of talent, as he went crazy on the drums and sang backup, in addition to throwing out drum sticks and attempting to perform tricks with them. The band performed a handful of songs, including popular radio hit "Face to Face."

Before Three Days Grace came on, Rob Dawes and three of the Q-Tease introduced the band. The crowd went nuts and the girls took a picture of the crowd so if you haven't yet tagged yourself in it, here it is!

Canadian quartet Three Days Grace took the stage next. It was my first time seeing them and I think they're so good so I was really excited to hear them. They were quiet but super nice during the meet and greet. They shook hands, smiled and happily signed and took pictures. It makes the experience so much better when the band is happy and excited to meet their fans.

They opened with "The Good Life," which was funny because life was good for everyone during the show, so that song

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 just amped it up even more. I was so excited when they played my favorite song, "(I Hate) Everything About You." I've loved that song since I first heard it. The rhythm and beat are awesome, but the lyrics just really make the song. We can all relate to loving someone but also hating them and vice versa, which enhances the song as well. Other songs performed included the most popular as well as singles: "Pain," "Home," "Never Too Late" and "Break."

In the middle of their set, TDG came out of nowhere and covered Eminem's "Lose Yourself." It was unexpected but completely awesome. Some of the lyrics are very fitting too, such as "lose yourself in the music, the moment/you only get one shot do not miss you chance/ this opportunity comes once in a lifetime."

I was also thrilled when they thanked the crowd for always being true to rock music because so much stuff out there is crap and so many stations (not Q103!) play horrible "music." The crowd loved that little shout-out, and so did I!

After they performed "Riot," frontman Adam Gontier was bothered by how many people in the crowd were sitting, and he said he was going to get all of them up and moving. Well, he meant it literally! He went around the lower part of the entire arena getting people up to their feet. Crowds gathered as everyone wanted to get a touch or a high five from Adam. I've never seen anyone (except for Papa Roach) do that before, especially in a huge building like the TU Center, so I thought it was really cool of him to do that. He was interactive with the crowd through their whole performance and really tried his hardest, and it paid off. While he made his rounds they performed the last song of the night, "Animal I Have Become."

I thoroughly enjoyed Three Days Grace, back stage and on stage. It's such an amazing feeling to be hot and sweaty from the people around you, but yet have chills all over your body. It's a feeling like no other and I embrace it every time it happens, so props to Three Days Grace!

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California quartet and headliners Avenged Sevenfold performed last, and it was an unforgettable opening. They opened (M. Shadows was donned in his trademark sunglasses) with hit single "Nightmare," and right as it started, a man came down from the rafters and just hung there lifeless for the entire song. He was in jeans and a T-shirt and his neck cocked to one side as if he was really being hanged. He didn't move at all; he just hung there swaying from side to side. It was so sick and really went with the music and rest of the set. I totally wanted his job too by the way! I thought it was a dummy but everyone says otherwise. What did/do you think?

After the song, they took him down and carried his body off stage. It was like nothing I'd seen before, (except for Alice Cooper, but that's for another day!) and I loved it! I wanted him to hang out, haha get it? there for the rest of the set!

The scenery for the show was really awesome. It had such a morbid ambiance, which of course I loved. There were

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 three gates which spelled out A7X, four pillars which spat fire and banners in the background. It felt as if you were in a cemetery or some other dark, exotic place. The lights were also amazing. There were purple, red, teal and white lights. They were used during different songs and made the stage pop. There were a lot of pyrotechnics used as well, which is something different and fun. It really made the show.

Other songs performed include: "Welcome to the Family," "Almost Easy," "God Hates Us," "Bat Country" and "Afterlife." They also sang "So Far Away," which was dedicated to late drummer James Owen Sullivan, or The Rev as he was called. He was with the band for a number of years, and was found dead on December 28, 2009. A7X was his family and has been and will be missed. As they sang the song, a banner hung of The Rev with his back to the crowd with a guy on either side of him. SULLIVAN was tattooed across his back. The crowd loved this segment and dedication, and tiny flares of light and fire surrounded the arena.

After playing a number of songs, A7X exited the stage for a few minutes and it seemed like they were done. The crowd knew better though. They cheered and chanted until they came back on stage. They performed a two-song encore and then threw things out to the crowd who cheered long after they were done.

It was a great night in the concert world on Saturday and I left happy but exhausted, as I'm sure everyone did. I hope I'm lucky enough to see all three bands live again someday.

Were you at the show? What did you think?

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