New Doors opened in concert

Mix one part emotion with two parts rock, and you’re bound to come out with something resembling the quintet 3 Doors Down — and every other band on the rock-show circuit today.

The difference? Although the band sounds like so many others on CD, its remarkable live performance sets it apart. That was certainly the case Tuesday night at the Merriweather Post Pavilion when the band capped a multi-layered bill that also featured Staind, Breaking Benjamin and No Address.

Sporting stage pyrotechnics, impressive bass lines and the power ballads it’s known for, 3 Doors Down wowed fans during its 90-minute set, mixing older hits — such as “Kryptonite” from their 2000 album “The Better Life” — with selections from its most recent LP, “Seventeen Days.”

Although most of its songs sound obnoxiously similar, the band managed to hide that fact during Tuesday’s show. Each tune took on its own identity, helped along by an arsenal of theatrics. Flame spurts flashed across the pavilion’s wooden stage, which was decorated like a huge clock and flanked with large propellers that spun randomly throughout the performance.

Frontman Brad Arnold interacted with the audience throughout the 15-song set, providing commentary about each tune and inviting the crowd to “help” him sing. “I bet you know this song — help me sing, my friends,” Mr. Arnold implored in his thick Mississippi twang on the ballad “Let Me Go,” the first single and radio hit from “Seventeen.”

His endearing Southern charm, coupled with a commanding stage presence, proved to be the perfect complement for the band’s set of emotionally charged rock. Among the night’s highlights: a performance of “Be Like That,” the band’s signature crowd pleaser, and a powerful rendition of “The Real Life.” The latter, also from the “Seventeen” CD, was described by Mr. Arnold as “my new favorite.”

The evening’s most memorable moment, however, came during the band’s encore. After performing “Here Without You,” the group surprised the audience by cranking out the massive hit “When I’m Gone” — complete with a heartfelt plea to support American troops in Iraq.

Dedicated to the men and women in combat, the song was accompanied by a tear-wrenching video of servicemen and -women leaving their families and a waving American flag in the background.