By Deb Rao

Providence, RI- One tour that is surely heating up the dead of winter is the Shinedown/Puddle Of Mudd/Skillet tour that kicked off on January 21 at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI. Providence always knows how to rock and it was fun to return to a city full of great music fans. RockMusicStar.com was there to catch all of the excitement of opening night on this amazing tour.

The concert was hosted by radio station  WHJY and the arena was pretty full for a Thursday night with the sagging economy. Christian rock band Skillet kicked off the night’s festivities and were a pleasant surprise. The band features John Cooper and his wife guitarist Korey Cooper. Overall the sound was huge and symphonic and kind of reminded me of a mini Tran Siberian Orchestra when they brought out a violinist and cello player on one song. Highlight of the set was their hit,” Monster."

Next up Puddle Of Mudd who is riding high with their recent release 'Volume 4: Songs In The Key Of Love And Hate.' Opening with "Control", Puddle Of Mudd dominated the stage with their post-grunge sound and catchy lyrics for an hour of fun and excitement. Singer Wes Scantlin was in a great mood and commented,” This is opening night of the tour. Ya'll seem to be enjoying it."  Even though there were a few technical difficulties the band took it in stride and seemed happy to be back on tour. Puddle of Mudd also premiered their new hit single "Spaceship" and had the whole venue rockin."

One of the great aspects of attending a Puddle Of Mudd concert is that the band loves to interact with their fans. Wesley entertained the crowd and even played an acoustic song called,” Thinking Of You" and dedicated it to the people of Haiti.

The band sounded tight and played all of their hits including "Famous", Psycho, "She Hates Me", and even did a spontaneous jam of songs including the AC/DC hit "TNT", "Space Cowboy" by Steve Miller. Check out our review of the new Puddle of Mudd Cd here

At 9:30 P.M. Shinedown hit the stage, as singer Brent Smith took full control of the audience. Brent has a powerful voice and it roared tonight. Highlights of the set included "Devour", their current hit,” If You Only Knew" and "Second Chance." received a huge response. One of the coolest songs of the night was the bluesy version of the Otis Redding song,” Dock Of The Bay." Great choice and it really showcased Brent's vocal prowlness. Shinedown is one of the more promising young bands out today. If you have a chance check out this tour when it hits your city, you won't be disappointed.