LIVE FROM THE PIT: Three Days Grace and Badflower

It may have been a blistering cold and rain-soaked December night in Glasgow, but when has that ever stopped music devotees? A snaking queue, full of everyone from younger fans newly converted to the joy of heavier music, and veterans who have been there since the beginning, wrapped around the O2 Academy. Despite their differences, everyone was united by one thing: the chance to see alternative rock legends, THREE DAYS GRACE. Hailing from Canada and more than three decades into their career, the band are on the road to celebrate their newest release, ALIENATION. This landmark album marked the return of original vocalist, ADAM GONTIER, who left in 2013 due to ongoing health and personal issues. With support from Los-Angeles rockers BADFLOWER, the venue's balconies and floor were already packed long before the opener had even considered stepping onstage.

As the members of alternative-rock quartet BADFLOWER drifted onstage, a curtain bearing the top half of a giant monochrome daisy loomed behind them. Frontman JOSH KATZ stepped quietly to the centre, bathed in dramatic green lighting as an aggressive synth swelled, escorting in the first notes of Drop Dead from their 2018 EP, Temper. As they paraded into their second song, ironically titled Number 1, intense, strobing lights created an almost club-like atmosphere that sharply contrasted the music's underlying melancholy. KATZ paused to introduce the band, laughing as he confessed, “I swear to god, I almost said Manchester… I know where we are”. 

Clearly having a taste for irony, KATZ abandoned the stage mid-way through Stalker, repearring atop the venues bar and playfully ‘stalking’ the enamored crowd from above. The bands energy never dipped, with bursts of stage-diving, constant movement and frequent hype-ups, they were clearly taking their job to warm up the crowd seriously. However, their vigorous performance sat at odds with the underlying sadness threaded throughout their songs. A solo from drummer ANTHONY SONETTI followed, showcasing the talent in the band. Unfortunately, it was a touch overextended, as evidenced by the crowd slowly drifting their interest elsewhere. To close out their set, BADFLOWER delivered an electrifying rendition of their hit Ghost, followed by 2020 single 30, before thanking Glasgow and dashing offstage. 

Screens at the back of the stage suddenly flashed ‘here we fucking go’, and, true to Glaswegian tradition, the crowd erupted into the chant without hesitation. The band proudly bounded on-stage with the kind of confidence that only decades of touring can produce. The first notes of Dominate detonated across the room, the crowd immediately swinging into action. After the final chord rang, MATT WALST declared it was “Scotland's song”, gleefully explaining, “It was all because of the last time we were here, we heard that fucking chant from you guys and thought, ‘we’ve gotta put that in a fucking song!’” He demanded the chant continue, as the iconic bassline of Animal I Have Become rolled across the venue. WALST now sported a facemask emblazoned with the Scottish flag, sending the already electric crowd into a frenzy.

Throughout the night, WALST rallied the crowd to shout the band's name, and despite the frequent repetition, they happily obliged with an unmatched enthusiasm everytime. Before regaling us with their seminal hit I Hate Everything About You, GONTIER took the opportunity to acknowledge the long journey of the band. He spoke candidly of his departure in 2013 before rejoining over a decade later, thanking the other members of the band for continuing on.

Mid-set, they attempted to give the crowd a break from the relentless pit. The theatrics fell away and GONTIER stood alone armed with just an acoustic guitar. Politely asking the crowd to sing along, he surprised everyone and eased into the first notes of Creep by RADIOHEAD. Despite the intended calm, the pit kept up its chaos. At one point, they hoisted the obligatory banana costume-wearer up, sending them surfing to coincide with the word “run”. It clashed hilariously with the atmosphere the band was trying to craft, but was undeniably one of the night's standout moments. Flowing into I Don’t Wanna Go Home Tonight, the band brought out a cousin of recently rejoined vocalist CALE GONTIER, a nod to the song's themes. As the end of the set approached, they tore into Painkiller from their 2015 album Human, which was a thrilling pre-encore closer that ignited the entire floor.

The encore began with the slower, emotionally charged Never Too Late, offering a final moment of catharsis before the room exploded again for their smash-hit Riot. The pit never slowed, and across the final notes, chants of “three days grace” scattered the room one final time. The band gathered at the front of the stage to take a well-earned bow and soaked in the triumphant atmosphere. The night felt like a celebration of a band that helped to define a generation and a heartfelt welcome home to GONTIER. As BADFLOWER set a precedent for intensity and the headliners gave us a thunderous tour across their discography, it was clear that despite the long journey, THREE DAYS GRACE have made a serious mark, and if tonight was anything to go by, they are here to stay.

Words: Chloe Sodeau

Photos: Neve Saltmarsh