Godsmack hit the Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse on June 30, and 11,000 people showed up despite the suffocating humidity. The Rise of Rock World Tour brought Stone Temple Pilots and Dorothy along for the night, and the venue was essentially full.
The biggest talking point going in was the drum seat. Mike Mangini, best known from his years with Dream Theater, replaced Wade Murff after an abrupt split. He locked in immediately. His playing gave the set a harder, more precise edge without stripping out the groove that Godsmack runs on.
Sully Erna opened with When Legends Rise and didn’t let the crowd breathe from there. You and I and Cryin’ Like a Bitch! followed in quick succession, then the set shifted into Straight Out of Line and Awake — heavier, slower-burning, and just as effective.
The middle of the set was where the night really settled. Keep Away, Love-Hate-Sex-Pain, and Voodoo landed exactly as they should. Batalla de los Tambores gave Mangini space to stretch out, and he made the most of it.
The first encore was Under Your Scars. It’s a song that carries real weight, tied to Erna’s Scars Foundation, and it hit differently in a live setting. The show closed with Bulletproof and I Stand Alone. Mangini’s presence didn’t just fill a gap — it sharpened the whole band.
