By Mary Ouellette

Fresh off their run on the 2010 OzzFest jaunt, Drowning Pool joined forces with Godsmack on their recent trek throughout the States. Their Oct. 8 stop at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA would be as close to a Godsmack hometown show as the tour would allow so Drowning Pool had something to prove to the local crowd from the start. As their countrified intro song “Titties and Beer” rang out through the venue I saw a few puzzled concert-goers checking their tickets to make sure they were in the right place ~ but as soon as the punishing bass and drum line from “Sinner” made its way through the speakers everyone felt more at ease.

Starting out their set with some microphone issues, front man Ryan McCombs kept his cool…at first. But after three failed microphone attempts he threw it to the ground and took over bassist Stevie Benton’s mic ~ proving that the show must go on!! Rock and roll ~ it isn’t always pretty… but that’s the way I like it.

As the opening act, Drowning Pool only had a short set to make their impact felt. They seemed to appease the masses by sticking to their more well-known material from their first few albums (Sinner, 37 Stitches, Step Up) rather than showcasing new material from their latest self-titled release (April 2010). Now, that’s a decision that I’m sure most music fans would have appreciated; however, this seasoned Drowning Pool vet would have loved to have heard a few more new tracks. The one new song they did perform, “Feel Like I Do,” was a definite highlight and had the general admission crowd fist-pumping in unison throughout. The raw energy was intoxicating and at that precise moment Drowning Pool had the crowd in the palm of their hands…or fists, as the case may be.

As expected, the band closed with “Bodies,” the addictive, anthemic tune that had originally put them on the map. Right on cue, it was as if the song came to life as bodies started flying towards the stage. First one, then two, then seas of bodies were floating atop raised hands, a true tidal wave of people ~ and much to the chagrin of the song’s lyrics, none of them hit the floor.

Set List:
1. “Sinner” – Sinner
2. “Feel Like I Do” – Drowning Pool
3. “37 Stitches” – Full Circle
4. “Step Up” – Desensitized
5. “Tear Away” – Sinner
6. “Bodies” – Bodies