Heavy Grooves and Heartfelt Moments: Sevendust and Daughtry in Oslo
- Kenneth Sporsheim
- Jan 21
- 3 min read
IMAGES KENNETH SPORSHEIM / WORDS THOMAS KIRKEBY
Sentrum Scene, Oslo - 18th January 2026
The concert year 2026 is already well underway, and this weekend Alter Bridge played two nights in Oslo on their What Lies Beneath Tour. Joining them as support were metal veterans Sevendust and rock band Daughtry. This review focuses solely on the support acts, as the headliner presented a press agreement that is not accepted by Norwegian media.
All Music Magazine UK attended the second of the two shows. The first night was sold out, and the venue was not far from capacity on this evening either.
Sevendust took the stage precisely at 7 p.m., squeezed onto a compact stage set up for three bands with tight changeovers. Despite the limited space, there was no sign of frustration. Frontman Lajon Witherspoon and his bandmates smiled broadly throughout their set, delivering a selection of songs drawn from a career spanning more than 30 years.
The stark contrast to the band’s upbeat demeanour came in the form of hard-hitting drummer Morgan Rose. True to form, he appeared in his signature look: long red hair and face painted in white and black. Despite the dramatic appearance, Rose too seemed genuinely pleased to be sharing Sentrum Scene with old friends Alter Bridge for two consecutive nights in Norway – a sentiment Witherspoon expressed on several occasions from the stage.
Remarkably, despite their long career, this marked Sevendust’s first-ever visit to Norway, something Witherspoon described as a dream finally coming true.
The band delivered a powerful, groove-driven set, encouraging the crowd to dance and engage.
There were also moments of seriousness, however, such as when Witherspoon remarked that there is “so much crazy going on in the world right now,” before introducing Enemy, dedicated to “the assholes out there we don’t fucking like.”
Other songs performed included ‘Crucified’ and ‘Face to Face’.
About half an hour after Sevendust left the stage, Daughtry emerged, led by the charismatic Chris Daughtry. Unlike Sevendust, I was already familiar with much of their catalogue and had been looking forward to hearing his strong vocals and the band’s catchy, soulful material live.
Still, the transition proved slightly underwhelming at first. Opening with ‘Divided’ — a solid song in its own right — the sound level felt noticeably lower than earlier in the evening. Combined with the song’s slower, more restrained nature, it made for a subdued opening that stood in sharp contrast to Sevendust’s raw energy.
The band, and Chris Daughtry in particular, also appeared far more introverted on stage, showing little visible excitement about performing in Norway for the first time. It left me momentarily missing the intensity Sevendust had just delivered.
Fortunately, things improved rather quickly.
The first major turning point came when the familiar keyboard intro to Journey’s ‘Separate Ways (Worlds Apart’) filled the room — a song Daughtry released as a duet with Lizzy Hale of Halestorm in 2023. This was the moment the show truly came alive. While Chris had previously stated his appreciation for playing Norway, it had felt somewhat restrained; now, with renewed energy and conviction, the connection finally felt real.
The momentum continued as he took the audience “back to the beginning” with ‘It’s Not Over’ from 2006. The crowd was fully on board, especially when Chris capped the song with an impressive sustained scream.
The band briefly left the stage, before Chris returned alone with an acoustic guitar. He said he would perform a song he wrote more than 20 years ago — likely the one that helped him secure a record deal in the first place. He then delivered a heartfelt rendition of ‘Home’.
The rest of the band rejoined him for Antidote, and from this point on, Chris Daughtry had the audience firmly in the palm of his hand. Had Alter Bridge never taken the stage that evening, I suspect a significant portion of the crowd would still have felt they got exactly what they came for.
SET LIST
1. Divided
2. The Bottom
3. The Day I Die
4. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
5. It’s Not Over
6. Home
7. Antidote
8. The Dam
9. Pieces
10. Heavy Is The Crown
11. Artificial
FOLLOW SEVENDUST
FOLLOW DAUGHTRY
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