“It’s been such a blessing to still be able to go to these towns and sell out places,” he said. “I really feel like if (the fans) had been with us since the first album and they’re here now on the sixth album, that they’ve grown up with us. It’s a very strange feeling to have a kid come up to me and say, ‘(Sevendust was) my first show, I was 16 or even younger.’ They make me feel old now when they say that.

But to still be rocking with us this many years later and bringing their kids and stuff, it’s crazy.” This wasn’t the sound of a rock star bragging about his popularity or fame. Witherspoon sounded more like a survivor grateful just to still be in the rock and roll game. Certainly, there have been times over the past few years when Sevendust’s ability to persevere has been severely tested.

For Sevendust, which formed in 1995 in Atlanta, a career that had started with considerable promise — the band’s second CD, “Home,” included two popular mainstream rock tracks, “Bitch” and “Back” — stalled out just a few years later. In a bid to create a more commercially accessible sound, Sevendust softened its metal-tinged sound, particularly on its fourth CD, the 2003 release, “Seasons,” at the behest of its record label, TVT Records.

The move failed, and when TVT mentioned the idea of reshaping the group’s sound in the direction of bands like the Strokes and White Stripes, the members of Sevendust knew TVT was more interested in trends than the integrity of the band’s music.