Ryan Murray | Co-Owner | Chief Editor | Contributor | Photographer
r.m.music84@gmail.com
Some tours feel big on paper. Others feel massive the second the lights go down. When Alter Bridge brought their What Lies Within Tour to Wellmont Theater, it became immediately clear this was going to be one of those nights.
With an absolutely stacked lineup featuring Tim Montana and Filter in support, the evening delivered everything modern rock fans could ask for — massive riffs, unforgettable melodies, explosive energy, and the kind of atmosphere that reminds you exactly why live music still matters. From whiskey-soaked Southern grit to dark industrial chaos and finally the towering emotional power of Alter Bridge, every band brought something completely different to the table while somehow fitting together perfectly.
By the end of the night, sweaty crowds poured out of the theater buzzing from a setlist packed with fan favorites, deep cuts, crushing musicianship, and enough energy to shake the walls of Montclair long after the final note faded.
There’s something different about a Tim Montana set. It’s gritty, loud, unapologetic, and feels like pure American rock ’n’ roll straight from the dive bar to the arena stage.
From the second the band hit the stage, the energy in the room shifted instantly. Between the swagger, the thunderous riffs, and the kind of attitude that refuses to let the crowd stand still, Tim Montana delivered the kind of opening set that doesn’t just warm up an audience — it wakes them up.
Between the energy onstage, the attitude, and the crowd feeding off every riff, there was never a dull second behind the lens.
What makes Tim Montana stand out live is how authentic everything feels. There’s no overthinking it, no forced theatrics — just raw, whiskey-soaked rock music delivered with conviction. Every song felt built for loud rooms, cold beer, and crowds screaming lyrics back at the stage. The chemistry between Tim and the band translated effortlessly, creating a performance that felt loose in all the right ways while still remaining razor tight musically.
Tim and the band brought that raw, whiskey-soaked, boots-in-the-dirt kind of energy that makes live music feel real. Exactly the kind of set that reminds you why rock music still hits so hard.
Tracks like “I Gotsta Get Paid” and “Get You Some” injected pure adrenaline into the venue early on, while “Beautiful Hate” and “Break Me Down” carried a heavier emotional weight without losing any intensity. Their cover of “Brown Sugar” brought an extra layer of swagger to the set, while “Watch Me Drown” and “Kinda Like It” kept the momentum surging forward. Closing with “Devil You Know” felt like the perfect exclamation point — dirty, loud, and unapologetically rock ’n’ roll.
Finally getting to see Filter live was such a cool experience. The atmosphere was dark, gritty, loud, and everything you’d want from a Filter set.
The second the lights dropped, the room transformed. Deep shadows, blinding strobes, crushing guitars, and walls of sound turned the theater into something almost industrial in feeling. It was chaotic in the best possible way — the kind of environment where the music completely consumes the room.
Between the shadows, intense contrast, and constantly shifting colors, this one definitely kept me on my toes behind the camera. But honestly? Challenges like that make the final shots feel even more rewarding.
Richard Patrick commanded the stage with an intensity that never let up, while the rest of the band locked into a performance that balanced precision with pure aggression. The chemistry between the members was undeniable, with every transition, breakdown, and explosive chorus feeling deliberate and massive in the live setting.
Huge respect to the band for bringing the energy all night long. Sometimes concert photography turns into survival mode… and sometimes those become your favorite galleries.
Songs like “You Walk Away” and “The Drowning” immediately established the dark atmosphere, while “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do” detonated the crowd with pure late-90s chaos and nostalgia. “Obliteration” and “Jurassitol” hit with a relentless heaviness, while “Take a Picture” created one of the night’s biggest singalong moments. “Welcome to the Fold” and the iconic “Hey Man Nice Shot” closed the set with the entire venue fully locked in, sending the energy through the roof and setting the tone perfectly for what was still to come.
There was a weight and darkness to their set that shifted the entire room’s energy, priming it for everything that followed and proving just how essential they still are in a lineup like this.
Then, the lights went down one final time. Alter Bridge! What a night. The energy, the lights, the emotion, the RIFFS…
Having followed this band since their inception and appreciating their music as much as I do, getting to capture Alter Bridge through my lens was an absolute honor.
From the moment they opened with “Silent Divide,” the atmosphere inside the venue felt electric. Every member of the band brought a level of passion and intensity that reminded everyone exactly why Alter Bridge continues to stand as one of the strongest live acts in modern rock.
Myles Kennedy’s vocals live cut right through the atmosphere. His power, melodic sensibilities, and emotional delivery rip at your insides in a way that recordings can never fully replicate. Whether soaring through the towering choruses of “Addicted to Pain” and “Rise Today” or pulling the crowd into quieter moments like “Watch Over You,” his presence completely commanded the room.
Meanwhile, Mark Tremonti and Brian Marshall gel incredibly well together, and the chemistry between the three of them left endless opportunities for some killer shots throughout the night. Tremonti’s riffs sounded absolutely massive live, especially during songs like “Cry of Achilles,” “Fortress,” and “Metalingus,” where the sheer weight of the guitar tone rattled through the theater walls.
Scott Phillips on drums and Brian Marshall on bass laid down a rhythm section that not only rattled the crowd from the inside out, but locked in with an almost machine-like precision throughout the entire set. The band’s chemistry felt effortless — years of playing together fully on display in every transition, harmony, and instrumental passage.
“Open Your Eyes” and “Broken Wings” brought massive waves of nostalgia crashing over the crowd, myself included. You could feel the emotional weight those songs still carry after all these years — nearly two thousand voices singing every word back to the stage as if no time had passed at all. There was this overwhelming sense of connection inside the theater; the kind of moment that reminds you how deeply Alter Bridge’s music has embedded itself into people’s lives over the last two decades.
And then came “Blackbird.”
The second those opening notes rang out, the atmosphere inside Wellmont Theater completely shifted. The crowd reaction alone was deafening, but when the chorus finally hit? It honestly felt like the walls were going to cave in from the sheer force of those voices screaming every word in unison; one of those rare live moments where the line between band and audience completely disappears.
Watching Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti trade melodies and guitar work during that song was nothing short of breathtaking. The emotion pouring off the stage, combined with the audience pouring every ounce of energy right back at them, created one of the most unforgettable moments of the entire night.
And somehow, if that emotional whirlwind wasn’t already enough, Alter Bridge still had one final knockout punch left in them.
The transition from the haunting beauty of “Blackbird” into the crushing opening riff of “Isolation” felt absolutely explosive inside Wellmont Theater. The entire venue erupted instantly. After such an emotionally heavy moment, “Isolation” slammed the night back into overdrive with a level of intensity that rattled the theater from floor to ceiling. The riffs hit like a sledgehammer, Scott Phillips’ drumming thundered through the room, and the crowd screamed every lyric back with the kind of passion usually reserved for career-defining songs.
Live, the track carried an even greater sense of weight and urgency. Myles Kennedy sounded absolutely ferocious vocally, while Mark Tremonti unleashed riff after riff with surgical precision and pure aggression. It was the perfect closer — powerful, cathartic, and overflowing with energy.
By the end of the night, it was impossible not to walk away reminded of exactly why Alter Bridge continues to command so much respect in the hard rock world. They bring incredible musicianship, genuine emotion, towering vocals, unforgettable songs, and a chemistry that simply cannot be manufactured…and this was everything a live rock show should be.
From Tim Montana’s whiskey-soaked southern swagger, to Filter’s dark industrial chaos, to Alter Bridge delivering a masterclass in modern hard rock and emotional weight, the What Lies Within Tour proved itself to be one of the strongest touring packages on the road right now.
Some concerts entertain you for a night while others stay with you long after the lights come up. And capturing this one behind the lens? Unforgettable.
Ethereal Metal 
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