3 Doors Down
A.J. Palumbo Center, Pittsburgh, PA
January 31, 2003
by: Linda Spielman

It is a sure bet that nobody in Pittsburgh knows where Escatawpa, Mississippi is, let alone how to properly pronounce it. But, judging from the large turnout at the A.J. Palumbo Center at Duquesne University, people in Pittsburgh do know the tiny southern town's best kept musical secret: 3 Doors Down. They could be called the new era of "southern fried rock," but whatever way you look at it, the band is doing something right having sold over six million albums. On their debut Better Life, every single that was released reached number one and the album earned them countless awards.

Now with their second album entitled Away From The Sun out of the gate and the first single, When I'm Gone, climbing the rock charts and radio stations playlists, 3 Doors Down has embarked on a tour to move and rock the masses the old fashioned way with a no hype, no frills, straight in your face rock show. When Chris Henderson, the band's guitarist, refers to this album, he is quick to point out that the band did not want to make a recreation of Better Life. "We've grown as a group and this album rocks out harder than our first. We took the time to make sure the songs were at the caliber musically we were all happy with in the end." The band didn't rely on fancy east or west coast studios or rehearsal spaces to pen this album, but rather they retreated back to Mississippi. After taking some time off to be with their families, they rented a house and started the inception of Away From The Sun.

So what did those days of writing in that house in Mississippi bring about? The answer is simple--- just what Henderson and the rest of the band are so proud of, an album that rocks harder than the first and one that is able to show the musical growth of the band who at first was only know as "that band that sings the Kryptonite song."

The Pittsburgh show exemplified exactly what 3 Doors Down has accomplished--- an edgier sound both on the album and live. Rocking the crowd with songs like Duck and Run, The Road I'm On, Kryptonite, Better Life, Away From The Sun, Loser, Be Like That and When I'm Gone, the band proved that what they tried to bring forth on this album was achieved. The songs are guitar-laden rock tracks that have made all of their songs extremely radio friendly in many formats over the past few years. Their recipe for musical success is a well kept secret, just like that little town in Mississippi that probably none of us in the north will ever be able to properly pronounce, but whatever it is, it works.

To catch more on the band visit their official site at: http://www.3doorsdown.com and watch VH-1 for the live video performance of When I'm Gone which was shot this in the Fall of 2002 when the band performed for the Navy troops overseas.

Photos were taken by Alice Barkwell on January 8, 2003 at Earthlink Live in Atlanta, GA