Old National Centre in Indianapolis, Indiana
Photos and Review by Laura Fox (LLFoxphotos)
After a four-year absence, Canada’s Theory of a Deadman FINALLY returned to Indianapolis Friday, February 12, 2022. Their U.S. headlining tour in support of their latest release, “Say Nothing,” had been postponed for nearly two years because of (do I really even need to say it?) COVID. Although the tour originally didn’t have an Indy date scheduled, Old National Centre was chosen to be the venue for the band’s return to the road, making this correspondent - and a couple thousand other fans - So Happy.
My life had been postponed for a few weeks to COVID, too, so I was chomping at the bit to be back in the photo pit, especially for such a great lineup at one of my favorite venues. Kentucky-based Black Stone Cherry rocked a terrific set to get the crowd revved up; to see/learn more about that, check out my review and photos below.
There was definitely a party atmosphere Egyptian Room as the stage filled with dramatic fog and blue lights, and the house lights came down. When the band strode on stage, they immediately assumed their rockstar poses, launching into theirmuch-loved banger from 2011, Lowlife. The rest of the set was a well-balanced mix of 13 heavy, mellow, and radio-friendly hits, followed by two encore tunes (sorry, no other spoilers here). Other than fog and lights, there were no fancy special effects, which seemed fitting since THEORY isn’t really a fancy band. They just get out there and play damn good music.
Frontman/guitarist/keyboardist Tyler Connelly’s vocals were strong, clear, and spot-on. Although he kept his chatter to a minimum at the start, he loosened up after a couple of songs, entertaining the nearly sold-out crowd with little jokes and anecdotes. Guitarist Dave Brenner and bassist Dean Back, both of whom provide backup vocals, were at the top of their games, as well. Drummer/backup vocalist Joey Dandeneau played and sang with great passion; he’s a dude who clearly loves what he does.
Even though THEORY deals with some seriously heavy topic in some of their songs, many of their tunes are irreverent and lyrically clever. I deeply respect that and would love to hang out with these guys sometime, especially after watching them mess around with the audience a couple times between songs. It really engaged the audience and kept the overall mood upbeat.
Theory of a Deadman will be on tour in the US through the middle of March, then they’re hopping across the pond for a UK/European tour in June. Here’s a link for more information:
Theory’s latest single, Strangers, features Zero 9:36 and can be found here: