Wednesday night, the ever electric 713 Music Hall hosted yet another packed-out show…this time a stacked lineup featuring Kami Kehoe, P.O.D., Daughtry, and Seether. With each act carrying its own loyal following, I already knew the crowd was going to turn out heavy. And they surely did.The second I walked in, it hit me just how shoulder-to-shoulder the night was about to be. Rockers filled every corner of the venue…band tees everywhere you looked, people comparing favorite albums, drinks in the air, and that unmistakable mid-week energy that only a good rock show can pull out of us Houstonians. It was a mix of die-hard fans, alt girls, dudes in backwards hats, and the atmosphere was filled with that “divorced-dad rock” energy in the best possible way. Everyone definitely showed up ready to vibe and sing their lungs out.
The stunning Kami Kehoe hit the stage first like she had something to prove-and instantly proved it. I’d heard she was blowing up, but seeing her live made it obvious why. Her voice is insane, all grit and emotion, and she carries herself with the confidence of someone who knows she’s on a fast rise. Total badass. She opened with a darker, moody track that immediately grabbed the room, then shifted into high-energy favorites that had everyone vibing and paying attention. Her spin on “Sex on Fire” was a standout for me…slow, smoky, and completely her own mix on it. She wrapped her set with “sleep when i’m dead,” leaving the crowd stoked, locked in, and fully convinced she deserved a longer set. Twenty minutes was just not enough time for me.
P.O.D. came out in the typical P.O.D fashion….firing on all cylinders. Sonny Sandoval exploded onto the stage like he’d been shot out of a cannon…running, jumping, whipping that mic cord around to the point I almost had whiplash. I remember the security guard getting slapped with it at one point as well.. And we both just about died laughing at that point. This was all within maybe two minutes after even joining the stage. It was definitely one of those holy shit moments right off the bat because the energy hit me like a brick. The crowd was obviously locked in instantly. Even with a shorter set this time, they crammed in eight solid tracks: “Boom,” “I Got That,” a surprise Beatles cover of “Don’t Let Me Down,” the gut-punch “Youth of the Nation,” and of course wrapped it all with “Alive.” Their sound was sharp and powerful, every song landing exactly how longtime fans needed it to. “Youth of the Nation” hit that nostalgic nerve in the chest for me personally, and “Alive” closed the night on that high you feel all the way home. Short set or not, they owned every damn second.
Daughtry was one I’d been waiting to photograph for a long time, and he ended up blowing every expectation out of the water. Truly exceeded them x100000. He’s a musical force on his own, and let’s be honest, he’s easy on the eyes if you know what I mean. From the moment he stepped out, he owned that stage. He tore through songs like “The Bottom,” “It’s Not Over,” and a powerhouse cover of “Separate Ways,” each one hitting harder than the last. The crowd was all in, singing every lyric back to him like a full-blown choir (myself included). The lighting was phenomenal… lasers slicing through the air and giving every moment that big, emotional, stadium-level feel. At one point he joked about being the inventor of “divorce dad rock,” and the audience ate it up. Between the vocals, the energy, and the production, it was one of those sets you walk away from knowing you just witnessed something special… and I definitely have the photos to prove it.
Seether was the band I’d been low-key waiting on all day, the one that still hits that soft spot I’ve had since I was a bratty little pre-teen blasting them in my bedroom. No matter how many times I see them, that feeling never dulls. The second they stepped out, that familiar emotional weight settled in… the kind that feels like home in a way. The lighting was moody as always, all shadows and silhouettes, which is exactly how Seether should be seen. They never needed all the lights, and the visuals.. They’ve always done just fine without it all. They opened with “Lost All Control” and rolled into “Words as Weapons,” “Wasteland,” and a killer “Judas Mind” moment with Chris Daughtry, but the one that got me was “Fine Again.” Yall. That’s my song… and I felt myself get emotional screaming along to every word. Hearing it live again just cracked me open in the best, most nostalgic way. “Broken,” “Rise Above This,” and “Nobody Praying For Me” hit just as deep, each one tugging harder on those heartstrings that the band has owned for years. Shaun doesn’t need to move much to take over a room; the way he delivers every lyric is enough to pull you right in. By the time they closed with “Fake It” and “Remedy,” I was reminded all over again why this band will forever have me wrapped around their finger. Seether never misses, and this set just sealed it all over again. To say I was fan-girling out is absolutely an understatement…and I’m not even embarrassed by it.
Walking out of the venue that night, it really hit me how lucky I am to keep experiencing nights like this. Every band brought something different, something real, something that reminded me why I do what I do. From the adrenaline to the nostalgia to the moments that caught me off guard in the best way, this show was one for the books.
GALLERY: Seether, Daughtry, P.O.D. and Kami Kehoe at 713 Music Hall in Houston, Texas (November 12, 2025)
