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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

3 Doors Down uses social media, acoustic “Back Porch Jam” tour to connect with fans

Like any good band, Tennessee-based rock quintet 3 Doors Down treats fans like friends.

The band – singer Brad Arnold, bassist Justin Biltonen, guitarist Chris Henderson, guitarist Chet Roberts and drummer Greg Upchurch – shares behind-the-scenes content and responds to comments from fans on Facebook and Twitter, and each member runs his own social media accounts, sharing even more of themselves with fans.

Did you know, for example, that Arnold likes his bacon “sliced off the slab” at the Williams Brothers General Store in Philadelphia, Mississippi?

Or that Henderson recently celebrated six years of sobriety? Or that Biltonen sells handmade leather goods online?

If you peeked at their Instagram accounts, you would see that and much more.

That’s not untypical, of course, but 3 Doors Down manages to take things a little further.

For instance, take the two VIP packages the band is offering during its acoustic “Back Porch Jam” tour, which kicks off Tuesday with a sold-out show at Northern Quest Resort and Casino.

The 3 Doors Down VIP experience includes a meet-and-greet and photo opportunity with the band, an autographed poster and a commemorative VIP laminate.

Taking things to the next level, the band is also offering fans the chance to join them onstage through the “Sit On the Back Porch with 3DD” VIP experience.

You read that right; this package includes onstage “porch” seating for the band’s set and the opportunity to listen to what the band hears through their in-ear mix while wearing custom 3 Doors Down headphones.

In addition to the goodies offered through the first VIP experience, the “Sit On the Back Porch with 3DD” package also includes an exclusive 3 Doors Down VIP backpack.

The “Back Porch Jam” tour grew out of an acoustic show the band performed a few years ago. It was such a great experience for the band members that they decided to put on an entire acoustic tour.

“It went over so well not only for us, but we felt like the fans really got a lot out of it,” Henderson said. “We got a lot of positive feedback, so we did another leg of it. Once that was over, we were like ‘You know what? We need to do it again.’ ”

The band had a great time, partly due to the fact that they didn’t have to “perform” like they might at an electric show, running and jumping around the stage.

At the acoustic show, they could sit and actually hear what the audience was saying.

“We can hear the feedback from the crowd, not only the applause but you can hear what they say because there’s smaller rooms and everything’s quiet,” Henderson said. “It’s like having a conversation with the crowd.”

Henderson said translating 3 Doors Downs songs acoustically wasn’t too difficult, as most are written on acoustic guitar.

The most difficult song to translate, Henderson said, was the band’s first and arguably biggest single, “Kryptonite,” but it worked out after a bit of trial and error.

With six albums to its name, most recently 2016’s “Us and the Night,” the first to feature Biltonen and Roberts, the band had more than enough material to take on the road.

The “Back Porch Jam” tour setlist came down, partially, to what fans requested on social media.

“Everyone in the band is pretty active on social media, and we own our own accounts so when people message us and tell us things, we actually read it,” Henderson said.

Henderson said he was pleasantly surprised by the amount of requests he received for “When You’re Young,” the first single from 2011’s “Time of My Life,” and is always excited to hear requests for non-single tracks too.

“It’s fun to play songs (for) people that aren’t really looking for singles, they’re looking for songs they like off the records,” he said. “That’s always a good thing.”

After the “Back Porch Jam” tour, the band is switching its focus back to “Us and the Night,” which the band recorded at the studio Henderson co-owns with Bobby Capps of 38 Special, with a summer tour.

If you’d like to request a song, the band is at @3doorsdown on Twitter and Instagram and “3 Doors Down” on Facebook.

Chances are high they’ll see every message.