Fans attending Aaron Lewis’ sold-out shows this weekend at the Bear’s Den Showroom know they will hear the Staind lead singer in action.
That’s about all they know they’ll get.
Lewis’ acoustic shows, which he’s led since before his band gained fame more than a decade show, are decreed by the audience. If they want to hear a Staind hit, that’s what they get. If they’d rather hear some Pearl Jam or Led Zeppelin, he’ll accommodate those requests.
“It’s kind of like you’re at a party and somebody starts to play the acoustic guitar and play while he’s sitting on the couch,” Lewis said by phone prior to a recent set in Reno, Nev. “The goal is more to have a good time and let people hear what they want to hear.”
The shows remind Lewis of early five-hour sets he’d do in bars, during which he’d strike up conversations with patrons and interact with nearly everybody. This is far different than his Staind shows, which he said offer some advantages over the solo sets and some disadvantages.
“With Staind, I’ve felt that the music did all the talking,” he said. “It’s just fun. It’s a completely different vibe altogether.”
Tonight’s and Friday’sjan 17-18 two-hour shows at the Bear’s Den, located inside Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel, require no practice, no backup band and no set list — “just me and a stool,” Lewis said. Lewis will field requests and see where each night takes him, but he doesn’t mind where he ends up, even if that means performing a Staind hit like “Outside” one more time.
“It still amazes me that people want to hear those songs,” he said. “They’re the ones that have spent the money for the show. If they want to hear it, I think I’m pretty lucky.”
The latest acoustic tour will see Lewis perform a series of weekend shows through February. His works during the week on Staind’s newest record, the band’s seventh, which is due out around June; the drum and bass tracks have been recorded, he said, with guitar work and vocals to come.
To bridge the gap between that record and the group’s next album, Lewis plans to release an acoustic disc of his solo work. Plans are fluid at the moment, he said, but he’s considering a mix of live recordings and studio tracks for that album.
Although his repertoire numbers in the thousands, Lewis does not guarantee that he can fill every request this weekend. It won’t be for a lack of trying, though.
“I’m not always successful at finishing a song, but it’s real. It’s as real as it gets,” he said. “It’s like riding a bolt of lightning.”
Contact reporter Paul Laneat 693-1000, ext. 116.
Art
Related Photos
January 16, 2008
MUSIC: Staind frontman to wing acoustic solo show
- Art
-
-
LIFESTYLE: Make art part of Syracuse trip
I am not an art critic. I can’t pick out a Renoir from a Michelangelo to save my life, nor can I even define what the Impressionist period is.
But I know what I like. And I like the Everson Museum of Art. -
ART: The NACC presents Holiday Extravaganza, "Artists and Friends"
Rachel Schiff was hanging her jewel-toned paintings in the Garden Gallery, admiring the soft light coming in from the giant windows and the beautiful marble floors.
-
MUSIC: The songs (and paintings) of Ron Hawkins
A lot of things have changed since Ron Hawkins was on the stage at Gateway Harbor in North Tonawanda in 2006.
-
ART: Buffalo Society of Artists show hits Kenan Center
The Buffalo Society of Artists is reaching out.
-
ART: Warhol photo collection comes to Castellani
"In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes.”
-
ART: The Lewiston Art Festival
In nearly every way, the Lewiston Art Festival is growing.
-
LIFESTYLE: 'Body Worlds' challenges the mind, heart
The “Body Worlds” exhibit was created as a vehicle for science, but it has stirred up emotions of a far different sort in pretty much every city that it’s visited.
-
ART: NACC goes "Beyond the Barrel"
The Niagara Arts and Cultural Center typically opens its “Beyond the Barrel” art exhibition at the end of June, but this year presented an opportunity that NACC staff couldn’t pass up.
-
ART: 100 American Craftsmen descend on Lockport
There will be art you can wear, art you can clean with and art you can drink from.
-
ART: Jed Jackson returns for exhibit
Thus, while the campus rocks this weekend, the Castellani will present the opening of “JED: 30 Years of Painting by Jed Jackson.”
- More Art Headlines
-
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Video of Ga. Man Who Killed Girl Released
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
White House Attacks Romney on Birth Control
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Mo. Teen Gets Life Sentence for Killing Girl, 9
Lower-hassle Screening to Be Tested at Airports
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Helmet Camera Captures Calif. Fire Rescue
Worker Tells 911: Powell 'exploded the House'
Triple Win: Santorum Takes Minn., Mo., Colo.
Injured Marine Inspired by Homecoming
No Rape Charges Against Son of NYPD Commissioner
Egypt's Ruling Generals Play Risky Game With US
Former Komen Exec Defends Funding Cut
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
Jury Selection for Ex-UVa Athlete Enters 2nd Day
