I'm an Allen Stone fan and when I saw that he was going to be performing in Bangor ME at the same time we were going to be in Acadia I just had to go check it out.
He was the opening act for the summer concert series with Train and Goo Goo Dolls. To be honest, if Allen Stone wasn't on the bill I would never have considering going but both Train and Goo Goo Dolls have put out some great music so I knew it would be a good evening of music.
The music venue in Bangor is a music park that is right on the Penopscot River and is a large outdoor venue that books main music acts just about every week. I'm surprised the community can support this many concerts through out the summer.
I originally was going to purchase the tickets and run some errands before the concert started. After checking the area out it became obvious that parking was going to be an issue and most places were charging $20 to park. As I was leaving the ticket office I saw a car leave a small public parking (free) area right by the entrance and right next to SeaDog Brewing. Can you guess what I did? Took the parking spot and went to have a couple of beers before the start of the concert. Great decision!
I was concerned that the sound for Allen would suck. It's not uncommon for the sound to be "de-tuned" for the opening act so that the main act sounds better. Fortunately that was NOT the case here. The sound was awesome and his performance didn't disappoint. Allen is considered an R&B artist but to me he is in his own lane and defining him as R&B doesn't really fit the bill. His set was only 30 minutes but I'm glad I went just to see his act.
Goo Goo Dolls took the stage next. The band was tight and they covered the many hits that you would expect to hear. They had a good interaction with the crowd that provided a more intimate feel for such a large venue. The hour set was perfect and left you satisfied.
Train's performance was very polished and the band was awesome. It was clear the audience was into Train as they sang along with most songs. The multi-media experience increased again as they now used all three of the large screens behind the stage and the performer coverage on the side screens was more interactive with the performers. The volume level increased again with Train. Half way thru the set the volume was reaching a point of discomfort to me and I like loud music. The only saving grace was there was no distortion and the sound was equalized very well. But dang it was loud.
While I haven't been a Train or Goo Goo Dolls fanatic I really did enjoy the event. My biggest take away is that I would like to see Allen Stone as a main act with an hour set and the same treatment was Train and the Goo Goo Dolls received.
It was interesting to see how the big concerts have changed since the classic rock concerts of the 70's. The lighting and multi-media experience is dramatically different from the concerts of the 70's where it was all about the music. The other big difference is in the sound quality. The equipment of today is amazing. The clarity of the sound is just incredible and a dramatic improvement over the often "muddy" and sometimes distorted sound of yesterday.
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