Buckcherry and Hinder Invade Connecticut at The Wall Street Theater in Norwalk, November 4, 2021

November 6, 2021
International Concert Reviews
by Jody Wilk Photographer/Writer

Buckcherry and Hinder invade the historic Wall Street Theater in Norwalk Connecticut. This theater has been a performing arts venue since the early 1900’s, although under many different names. The only time I had been to this theater before, was on July 10, 1993 for the Dream Theater show. At that time the venue held the name, The Marquee. While it doesn’t have the huge colorful marquee it once had when it was first built, it still has the feel of a historical building whose walls could talk. The line to get in wasn’t huge and went quickly after showing our vaccine cards and donning our masks, we were ready to hear some awesome hard rockin’ live music.

Rubikon was supposed to be the first opening act, but they had to cancel the remainder of their tour due to Covid. So first to hit the stage was Hinder, playing to a crowd that was still filling in, as they started earlier than expected. Hinder started off their 11 song set with “I Need Another Drink” off of their 5th studio LP, When the Smoke Clears, which came out in 2015. Well, the smoke never really cleared all night as the smoke machines were on high, adding to the ambiance of the mostly red and blue back lighting. They played songs spanning their 20 year career. The only album they didn’t play any songs from was 2012’s Welcome to the Freakshow. Several times while rocking through an 11 song set, Marshal Dutton took peoples cell phones and ran around the stage recording other band members, the fans, and even did a few selfie serenades. A couple fans near the front of the stage were lucky enough to get their chance to sing into the microphone, as they knew all the lyrics and were belting them out all night. To the fans delight, they ended the night with 2005’s “Get Stoned”. Hinder’s last stop on this fall’s tour is November 7 in Flint, Michigan at The Machine Shop.

Hinder is:

Joe “Blower” Garvey – lead guitar, backing vocals (2001–present)
Cody Hanson – drums (2001–present)
Mike Rodden – bass guitar (2003–present)
Mark King – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)
Marshal Dutton – lead vocals (2015–present)

Setlist:

I Need Another Drink
Up All Night
King of the Letdown
What Ya Gonna Do
All American Nightmare
Without You
2 Sides of Me
Better Than Me
Life in the Fast Lane (Eagles cover)
Lips of an Angel
Get Stoned

By the time Buckcherry came on stage, the general admission floor area was packed with fans eager to see them perform hits from their 26 year career. They opened up with “54321” and played a total of five songs off the new album, Hellbound which was released June 25, 2021. The crowd was singing through most of the songs, but particular favorites were their hit songs, “Lit Up” and “Crazy Bitch”. By mid-set it was getting hot and Josh and Stevie D took off their shirts revealing their heavily tattooed bodies. Stevie D is a madman on stage jumping and kicking throughout the set and sporting a mohawk. After “Gun”, they broke into a cover of the ZZ Top song “Tush”. Closing their set with “Crazy Bitch”, Josh got the crowd singing along, and a few fans looked like they were trying to get a mosh pit going. Someone threw a bra up on the stage, and when Kelly threw it back into the crowd, it looked like the fans were playing Hot Potato with it. Nobody wanted to touch it. As Josh was introducing Billy Rowe, the rest of the band was doing a choreographed shuffle across the stage. Billy joined the band this July after Kevin Roentgen left the band to spend more time with his family. For their encore and to the crowds delight, they played “Dead”. I left a few minutes early, and I could hear the crowds cheers from outside the building.

It was great to see that The Wall Street Theater has taken over this venue and brought live music back to Norwalk. Buckcherry and Hinder both put on killer performances which the fans will remember for a long time to come. If you get a chance to see them play, I suggest you don’t miss the opportunity.

Buck Cherry is: