Three Days Grace Light Up The Honda Center on "The Dark Horse" Tour

During a magnificent set Friday night, Three Days Grace blessed The Honda Center with some of the best arena rock SoCal has heard in a long time.

The Canadian quartet was made to play big stages, and their brand of anthemic rock nearly induced an earthquake in Anaheim. "Pain" skyrocketed on the fumes of Barry Stock's impenetrable riffing, Brad Walst's pummeling bass and Neil Sanderson's unshakable rhythms. Vocalist and guitarist Adam Gontier injected the hook with poignant vitriol. As a result, he sharpened the track with an edge that teetered between Layne Staley's grunge grit and James Hetfield's fiery bark.

For "Home," Gontier put down the guitar and stalked the front of the stage, belting out the song's refrain flawlessly as lights flashed in tandem with the syncopated groove. An extended jam illuminating Three Days Grace's chops gave Gontier a second to make a proclamation though.

Glancing out at the crowd, he announced, "I want you to forget about everything that's going on in your life for one fucking second. On the count of three, I want you to scream!"

The packed venue immediately obliged with an earth-shattering roar.

Few bands can elicit the reaction that Three Days Grace did, and it was an unforgettable moment in a set filled with unforgettable moments. "Last to Now", from the band's standout 2009 release Life Starts Now, built off clean keyboards into a massive chorus that careened from somber to soaring. Gontier drove the hook home with an emotionally engaging delivery. For "Too Late," pristine guitars morphed into a bludgeoning beat, and the uncontainable energy spilled from the stage into the crowd. That energy continued to swirl as Three Days Grace torn through a barn-burning rendition of "Riot" that crawled from a snaky riff into a fist-pumping chant.

During the set closer "Animal I Have Become," Gontier took to the crowd with a spotlight following him. Walking up the arena's stands he brought everyone to their feet with a charisma that few 21st century frontmen can muster. With the final chug of a power chord and strains of fan screams, it was clear that Three Days Grace remain one of the most powerful current rock bands—on stage and on tape.

Were you there?

Stay tuned for our Nickelback review next!