Puddle of Mudd ~ August 15, 2008 ~ Seneca Niagara Casino ~ Niagara Falls, N.Y.

I admit, prior to this show my knowledge of Puddle of Mudd was through their hit singles like "Blurry," "Control" and "Psycho."
At the casino, I first observed the band as they walked towards the stage. Lead vocalist Wes Scantlin stopped to high-five three young boys that were sitting back stage. He struck me as a down-to-earth guy.

Photo by Joe Koch

On stage, Wes was quick to thank everybody for coming. In the middle of the first song they broke into Black Sabbath's "War Pigs." That instantly got the crowd ready for a night of hard rock. Those fans ran the gamut from age 5 to 65.
Mudd kept the momentum going with "Famous," a single from their 2007 release of the same name. On the fourth song, Wes told a story that was told to him by his father: "So when I was young, my dad took me to a rock concert. As I sat there, he said, 'Son what are you doing?' I'm sitting watching the show. ‘Son, if you wanna have a good time, you have to stand up!'"

So being very conscious of the young kids that consumed the front row, Wes said, "I normally would swear here — do you wanna flippin party? Then stand up! Everybody outta your seats!" With that, the crowd that could have easily been mistaken for Barry Manilow onlookers was transformed into exactly what Puddle of Mudd needed. Energy.
Wes and his cohorts — Christian Stone on guitars, Douglas Ardito on bass and Ryan Yerdon on drums — were very attentive. Wes interacted all night long with the kids down front, asking them about school, favorite football teams and asking one girl's name, then wishing her a happy birthday.
As soon as the crowd seemed to lose its spunk, he would ask everybody in the back to do the wave. It worked.
Whether you knew their material or not, you couldn't help but sing along as they ripped through their hits. Some surprise cover songs were AC/DC's "TNT" and Nirvana's "Breed." Many critics have said Wes eerily sounds like Kurt Cobain.
They closed the night with "Psycho" and "She Hates Me," and Wes did not hold back: "She Fucking Hates Me!" Maybe the kids in the front row had left by then?

Photo by Joe Koch

After the show, Wes invited everybody back to their merchandise table, where they would sign autographs. I would say almost a thousand people lined up and the band didn't leave until everyone had their signatures.
There's nothing like a live show to win you over. Mission complete.

For more info go to: http://www.puddleofmudd.com