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You might have noticed something odd around town on the night of August 24, 1999: a peculiar absence of the color black from the city's collective couture, in particular, a paucity of black t-shirts. That's because those t-shirts, most of them reading "Pantera" or "Mötley Cruë" or "Korn," were mustered at the Roxy Theater for the Sevendust concert, which also featured Skunk Anansie, Staind, and Powerman 5000. Not that there wasn't abundant sartorial support for those bands as well: dozens of fans wore Sevendust tees reading "I'm not very good with names... so I'll just call you Asshole."
Tuesday's show was anticipated by the performers as well as the fans as it marked the release not only of Sevendust's eagerly awaited sophomore effort, Home, but also of Skunk Anansie's Post Orgasmic Chill. "The biggest band on this tour," according to Staind frontman Aaron Lewis, Skunk Anansie kicked off the evening with a short set showcasing music from Chill, their third album. Fans of the British quartet were on hand from as far away as Slovenia; unfortunately, owing to draconian security at the show, many of those fans were still standing in line or enduring a thorough pat-down while Skunk Anansie were wrapping up. They retired immediately to the VIP lounge, where Skin, the band's captivating vocalist, could be seen looking more like a Gap model than a neo-punk songstress, her shiny pate half-hidden by a sweatshirt's hood. Limp Bizkit protégés Staind took the stage next. Lewis, who does microphone duty for the Springfield, Massachusetts-based foursome, demonstrated a graciousness and soft-spokenness striking in a hardcore performer. His delivery was personal and intimate – until it came time to shift into the "Portal to the Pit of Hell" mode more typical of the genre. Lewis alternately crooned and shrieked his way through "Crawl," "Spleen," and "Raw," while guitarist Mike Mushok somehow managed to hold onto his instrument, and even to play it, despite apparently suffering a continuous grand mal seizure. Mushok's enthusiasm spread to several would-be crowd surfers, who attempted to catch a human wave.
All through the first three acts, fans continued to stream into the venue; the packed Roxy then came truly alive when, at the end of the third intermission, MTV's music pontiff Matt Pinfield took the mic to bestow his benediction upon Sevendust and welcome them to the stage. Sevendust opened with a searing rendition of "Home," the title cut off their new album. Lead singer Lajon Witherspoon, stripped to the waist, was a howling Adonis with dreadlocks, exhorting the crowd to mosh and toke with abandon. The crowd complied. The "boys from Atlanta" tore through "Denial" and "Grasp," tying the songs together with the trippy ragga- and hip-hop-style bridges that are their signature. At one point, Witherspoon even entreated the audience to press in; he then launched himself off the stage and onto their upraised hands. When Sevendust finally finished their encore, the black stream that issued forth from the Roxy reeked of cigarette and pot smoke, mosh-pit-sweat... and extreme satisfaction.
September 1999 
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