Disturbed brought their Take Back Your Life Tour, with Breaking Benjamin and Jinjer, to Fivepoint Amphitheater in Irvine last week for a great show under a beautiful So Cal summer night.This was a show I have been looking forward to, as I haven’t seen or photographed the band since Ozzfest Meets Knotfest back in 2016. Ever since that show I have wanted to catch them again, and Thursday night they brought the fire, literally, to a packed house.
Disturbed
Describing a Disturbed show is difficult. It’s like trying to describe what pure energy feels like. The band took the stage behind a large white cover, projecting their silhouette for the audience to see, and when that thing dropped it was like being hit in the face with music. Fire was everywhere, and vocalist David Draiman seemed to be too. Starting out wearing a killer leather jacket, I get the feeling all of the fire made it hot up on stage, and David dropped the jacket after just a few songs.
They started out with Hey You, before moving into Stupify, and that one was all the crowd needed to get on their feet. Draiman is one of the most controlled vocalists I have seen. He delivers every note spot on, and at times I felt like I was in the KCAL studio playing it live. Just insane skill he has.
On guitars and backing vocals is Dan Donegan, and along with bassist John Moyer you’ve got three people on the front of the stage that you can’t take your eyes off of.
Backing up the band is drummer Mike Wengren, and you could feel his playing in your heart. This is a band that every metal fan needs to see. There are, in my opinion, few bands that sound this absolutely perfect live.
Some of the highlights for me were Stupify, the cover of Genesis’ Land of Confusion, finally seeing The Sound of Silence live, and the power of Down With the Sickness during the 3 song encore. Check out this tour if you can, but definitely see them sometime.
Disturbed Setlist
- Hey You
- Stupify
- Ten Thousand Fists
- Prayer
- Are You Ready
- Bad Man
- A Reason to Fight (Followed by David’s suicide…)
- Guitar Solo
- Land of Confusion (Genesis cover)
- Droppin’ Plates (Tour debut, first time since 2016)
- Drum Solo
- The Game
- The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
- Bass Solo
- Indestructible
- The Light
- Stricken
Encore:
- Unstoppable
- Down With the Sickness
- Inside the Fire
Breaking Benjamin
In the middle spot of the night was Pennsylvania’s Breaking Benjamin. This is a band I had not seen before, so I was pretty excited. They lived up to the hype, and the third song of the set, Until the End, was a highlight for me. Well, that and the final song, The Diary of Jane.
I forgot how long this band has been around, having been formed in 1999. It’s always so awesome to see a band that’s been on the road for that long still enjoying themselves, and they definitely were.
With Benjamin Burnley handling lead vocals and rhythm guitar the setlist just flowed from fan favorite to fan favorite. The combo of Jasen Rauch on lead guitar, and Keith Wallen on rhythm guitar and backing vocals draws in the crowd, and then you have bassist and backing vocalist Aaron Bruch and drummer Shaun Foist holding it together.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect for this set. I had heard almost nothing going in. Let me tell you, they are everything you image when singing along with their hits on the radio. Fun is actually the word that pops into my head.
We did get to see a guitarist in training Thursday too. Benjamin Burnley’s son was on stage for the whole set! Honestly, he was so cute that he may have been the best photo opportunities. Apparently he is normally up next to dad, but due to the fire setup on stage they had him in a safe area at the back of the stage. When Benjamin went back to ask if his son was having fun, and then told him he loved him and would be back as often as he could my heart melted. As a dad, that was such a special moment to see.
Breaking Benjamin Setlist
- Failure
- Breath
- Until the End
- Red Cold River
- Polyamorous
- Blow Me Away
- Simple Design
- Follow
- Sooner or Later
- So Cold
- Dance With the Devil
- I Will Not Bow
- The Diary of Jane
Jinjer
Opening up the show was the Ukrainian metalcore band Jinjer. I hadn’t heard of this band before, but I was warned while waiting in the photo pit that they were fantastic. Holy crap. This band is *$%@# awesome! Starting with vocalist Tetiana “Tati” Shmailyuk, I kept looking for a second vocalist on stage. She has the abilities of a seasoned pro. I honestly was just blown away by her vocals. Insanely good.
The rest of the lineup is Roman Ibramkhalilov on guitars, bassist Eugene Abdukhanov, and drummer Vladislav “Vladi” Ulasevich. Here’s what stood out to me with Jinjer… the musicianship. Hands down one of the tightest bands I have ever seen. Almost makes me think of a jazz style type of tightness, except it’s metal from start to finish.
I did not want their six song set to end. Definitely check them out if you get a chance, on this tour or whenever they play near you.
Jinjer Setlist
- Perennial
- Call Me a Symbol
- Vortex
- I Speak Astronomy
- Copycat
- As I Boil Ice
As usual, there is a gallery with many more photos below, and if you were at the show I’d love to hear your thoughts. Follow me online at:
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~ Razz
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