Stone Sour - Niagara Falls, NY

This summer, Stone Sour put out their latest album, "Hydrograd," and have been relentlessly touring in support of it ever since. We got a chance to catch up with them on their date in Niagara Falls, NY recently, along with Steel Panther and the Cherry Bombs.

The show started off as most do, with an opening act most in attendance were completely unfamiliar with. As the Cherry Bombs took the stage, they grabbed the crowds attention immediately, with one of the most in-your-face dance acts to grace the stage at a metal show. Complete with fire, dancing, pole dancing and aerial arts, all backed to a heavy metal soundtrack. The crowd was treated to a solid 30 minute set of raw energy and sex appeal.

Shortly following Cherry Bombs performance, Steel Panther took over the stage with one of the most authentic hair-metal acts on the road right now. They kicked their set off with "Eyes of the Panther" from their debut album, and followed up with "Goin' in the Backdoor" before hitting a series of their best known hits including "Asian Hooker," "17 Girls in a Row" and "Death to All But Metal."

Led by vocalist Michael Starr, Steel Panther are currently touring in support of their fourth and latest studio release, "Lower the Bar." With each successive album, the band has gotten farther away from being a straight 80's cover band (formerly known as Metal Skool (Metal Shop originally). Now, while still maintaining a very hair metal sound and visually oozing with stereotypical glam-metal visuals, the band has really crafted their own sound and has stood on their own with original material for years.

Simply being a fan of 80's metal doesn't nearly convey the appeal of Steel Panther, though. In addition to being an exceptional quartet, the stage banter that goes on night after night between the members of this band is a huge draw. As expected, much of it comes from vocalist Michael Starr, but lead guitarist Satchel is just as much a source of nightly comedy, largely directed at bassist Lexxi Foxx. Meanwhile, drummer Stix Zadinia comes off as probably the most masculine member of the band from behind his kit. Don't let him fool you though, he jumps in on the action at any opportunity.

If you haven't managed to hear about or see Steel Panther yet, make a point of going the next time they come through your town!

At this point, fans at the Rapids Theatre had already gotten their money's worth for the evening, but Stone Sour was still to come and leave their mark for the night. Having reportedly suffered a fairly painful knee injury the night before, there was some uncertainty in the air as to how Corey Taylor would be heading into this evening's show. As anyone in attendance would testify, he put any and all questions to rest instantly as he came running out onto the stage to kick off another blistering set from Stone Sour!

Kicking their set off with "Taipei Person / Allah Tea" (Type-A Personality), Corey Taylor and crew stormed the stage for a relentless set a fantastic career spanning set including Stone Sour's biggest hit "Through Glass" as well as current album hits "Song #3" and "Rose Red Violent Blue."

Stone Sour has always provided a more stripped-down, hard rock view into Corey Taylor's musical endeavors apart from Slipknot. It may come as a surprise to some to learn that Stone Sour isn't a side-project of Taylor's. In fact, Stone Sour predates Slipknot by several years. With a catalog now consisting of six studio releases, these guys stand with an impressive history all on their own.

Now, back from a several year hiatus, Stone Sour appears to be staking their claim to dominance, having played over 60 shows already this year (only having returned to the stage back in late May) and what appears to be a big 2018 on the horizon, it's a safe bet that we'll be hearing and seeing a lot from Stone Sour for the next year or so.

Collectively, this tour package made for one incredibly show. While the combination of Stone Sour, Steel Panther and the Cherry Bombs was a fairly short jaunt, these groups are all still out there touring. If you missed this show, or if you made it and loved it, make sure you keep an eye out for these acts to return in 2018! If you attended any of these dates, please tell us what you think!

Photo Gallery: All images by Charlie Meister