Three Days Grace Bring Heavy Nostalgia and High Energy to Germany
As a certified former emo kid there is no mixed playlist without at least one Three Days Grace song. Lucky for me I got to hear all of my favorites live at Mitsubishi Electric Halle in Düsseldorf, Germany this past December 3rd. The hall, packed with around 7.500 people, had been sold out for a while with people from all over coming to see the legendary band. Currently on support is the US-American band Badflower.
Badflower, who have been confirmed to play the dual festival Rock am Ring and Rock im Park alongside the main act in 2026, have been steadily rising in the scene, supporting names such as Circa Survive and Of Mice & Men. They are now back after a three year break with new album ‘No Place Like Home’ in tow. To me, Badflower had been one of those bands whose name I knew but had not yet come into contact with. Knowledge of something does not make you a fan but their performance just might: all four band members gave an incredibly energetic show. Josh Katz (vocals & guitar) going so far as letting himself be carried into the crowd who did not seem to want to let him go at all, and later dove back into the throng again. Staying on stage, but no less animated, the others went just as wild. You could see the joy they had performing. It wasn’t just the performance that hit hard; the sound and feel of their music stayed powerful and consistent, no matter the pace. With songs such as ‘Family’, ‘Ghost’ and ‘30’ (which is by the way the age I will be turning soon) they have earned at least one more fan in me. And judging by the crowd, it wasn’t just me who was pulled in by them.
Three Days Grace now have two lead singers: both original frontman Adam Gontier, who had previously left the band in 2013 and of course Matt Walst, who had stepped in after the fact. After reuniting with Gontier, their 2025 album ‘Alienation’ paid homage to the sound of their first three albums, honoring not just the band’s history but also giving way to a new era. Seeing them live with this new old sound was an honour. From the first song ‘Dominate’, Walst and Gontier are a perfect match not just in their powerful yet distinct vocals, but also in energy. Neither takes anything from the other, and sound-wise this is the best they’ve ever been. Going straight into their classic ‘Animal I Have Become’, Brad Walst shined with the famous bass riff and never stopped overlooking the screaming fans with a proud and excited smile. The band is right to be proud of the crowd they pull in. After nearly every song of the night, chants for “THREE DAYS GRACE. THREE DAYS GRACE!” broke out like a battle cry at a sports game.
With Barry Stock on lead guitar and Neil Sanderson on drums, the sound was undeniably heavy at just the right moments. This perfectly offset the melodious voices of Walst and Gontier on songs such as ‘Pain’ or the all-time hit ‘I Hate Everything About You’. On the chorus, the crowd managed to compete with the band in their ferocity. And this was just the halfway stop. With the Radiohead cover ‘Creep’, Adam Gontier performed a beautiful solo, complete with acoustic guitar and hundreds of lit up phones and lighters swaying along. From low to high notes, the frontman proved why he is beloved in the scene.
On ‘Don’t Wanna Go Home Tonight’ the band then brought out Saint Asonia’s Cale Gontier, who is both family and childhood friend to the members. ‘I Am Machine’ brought back a bit of the heaviness and classic Three Days Grace sound with Walst performing the main vocals. From there on the energy kept up, the crowd opening mosh pits, dancing and screaming along to ‘The Good Life’ and ‘Painkiller’.
Of course it’s not a Three Days Grace show if they don’t end it on the high note that is their track ‘Riot’. And believe me, I have been singing the chorus under my breath no matter the activity for days now. This is not something you get tired of — it’s a perfect ending to their performance. So please, catch them live if you have the chance, you will not regret it anytime soon.
