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Disturbed Was On-Point at The Point’s Big Summer Show Tuesday in Saint Louis

-by Sean Derrick

Veteran rock band Disturbed is winding down their US leg of their much acclaimed “Take Back Your Life Tour” and made a stop in Saint Louis Tuesday at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights for local radio station 105.7 The Point’s Big Summer Show.

Disturbed has been on the road since April and by now the tour is a well-oiled machine. That certainly was the case Tuesday as everything went off without a hitch.

Disturbed performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Saint Louis Tuesday. Photo by Sean Derrick/ Thyrd Eye Photography.

The band teamed up with Breaking Benjamin for this leg of the US tour that began in July. They also brought along Jinjer as the opener.

Jinjer, a metalcore band from Ukraine, wowed the crowd, especially from the vivacious vocalist Tetiana Shmailyuk. Her incredible good looks and powerful demeanor demanded attention, which she proudly backed up with her strong vocals and intimidating growls.

Jinjer performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Saint Louis Tuesday. Photo by Sean Derrick/ Thyrd Eye Photography.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022 Jinjer paused their career to work on relief efforts. Then a few months later they received permission from the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture to leave the country and tour as ambassadors of Ukrainie.

Jinjer performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Saint Louis Tuesday. Photo by Sean Derrick/ Thyrd Eye Photography.

This was their first time in Saint Louis, let’s hope they are able to return.

Saint Louis favorite Breaking Benjamin filled in the support slot with a solid hour-long set. Lead vocalist Benjamin Burnley was his usual hard to sees spot of very low light, but his voice was spot on.

Breaking Benjamin performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Saint Louis Tuesday. Photo by Sean Derrick/ Thyrd Eye Photography.

Tearing though well-known staples such as “Polyamorous”, “Sooner or Later” and “I Will Not Bow” the band (Burnley, guitarists Jasen Rauch and Keith Wallen, bassist Aaron Bruch, and drummer Shaun Foist) brought the goods that have made the band so loved in the Gateway City.

Breaking Benjamin performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Saint Louis Tuesday. Photo by Sean Derrick/ Thyrd Eye Photography.

For Disturbed, their nearly 2-hour set was molded to be a prime example of how a rock show should rock. From Pyro (lots of it) to solos, to fog, add intense heavy metal and you can’t go wrong.

Disturbed performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Saint Louis Tuesday. Photo by Sean Derrick/ Thyrd Eye Photography.

Touring in support of their latest LP Divisive, the band led off with the opening track to that album “Hey You”.

Vocalist David Draiman’s voice was, as usual, epic. The other band members (guitarist Dan Donegan, bassist John Moyer, and drummer Mike Wengren) were spot on and perfect in every sense of the word. (They should be by this point in the tour.)

John Moyer’s bass solo at times resembled the opening somber bass line in Primus’ “Southbound Pachyderm” (For those of you who know me that is a huge compliment when you can sound like Les Claypool).

Disturbed performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Saint Louis Tuesday. Photo by Sean Derrick/ Thyrd Eye Photography.

It was refreshing to hear a bass solo as so few bands do that. In fact, it was refreshing on the whole as each band member got their moment in the spotlight with a solo. Bass, drum, and guitar solos are sorely lacking in the rock world since the onslaught of Grunge.

Disturbed performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Saint Louis Tuesday. Photo by Sean Derrick/ Thyrd Eye Photography.

Solos are a lost art and the practice needs to be brought back. The guitar gods (as well as the drum and bass gods) are getting fewer and fewer in numbers. A few bands, like Disturbed, are carrying that mantle, but more need to follow suit.

Disturbed performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Saint Louis Tuesday. Photo by Sean Derrick/ Thyrd Eye Photography.

The concert was not all rock and roll and headbanging. There was a somber moment following “A Reason to Fight” where Draiman spoke at length about the need for awareness of depression, suicide, addiction. He got very emotional during the song and said it is very likely he will never sing that song again without getting emotional.

Disturbed performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Saint Louis Tuesday. Photo by Sean Derrick/ Thyrd Eye Photography.

Draiman stated “diseases like depression and addiction are very real. They are no different than cancer, just the same way cancer grows and metastasized in the body, out of sight and beyond our perception, so do depression and addiction. It doesn’t matter how strong you think you are or how blessed your life looks from the outside. No one is immune to those demons.” He went on to say he was so very sick and tired of watching his friends die,

He spoke about losing friends to suicide and addiction. Friends like Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots and others. Then he remarked “In one of the darkest weeks of my life this past February I almost joined them.” Draiman then went on to say how his son and fans kept him going and explained that “You are attending the largest group therapy session you will ever attend in your lives.” When he asked how many have struggled with the same demons the vast majority of the crowd raised their hands, to which he affirmed “You are not alone”.

Disturbed performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Saint Louis Tuesday. Photo by Sean Derrick/ Thyrd Eye Photography.

Draiman later, after “Indestructible”, had a charming interaction with a 10-year-old fan, Jack, who was attending his first concert and appeared scared when Draiman asked him to come up on stage. So, instead he jumped down into the photo pit he put his hand on the kids’ shoulder and told the crowd “I’m not going to make another little kid cry. I’m not going to do it.” (in reference to the now viral video from Florida last week)

“Apparently, I’m getting a reputation for scaring little children.” Draiman joked. It was a lighthearted and warm interaction that put a spotlight on a Disturbed show being a family affair.

Disturbed performing at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Saint Louis Tuesday. Photo by Sean Derrick/ Thyrd Eye Photography.

On Tuesday many families left the show happy after not only hearing their favorites like “Down With the Sickness”, “The Game”, and “The Sound of Silence”, but also getting a shared family experience.

Be sure to check out the rest of the gallery of photos from the show after the setlist below.

Disturbed Setlist:

Hey You

Stupify

Ten Thousand Fists

Prayer

Are You Ready

Bad Man

A Reason to Fight

Guitar Solo

Land of Confusion (Genesis cover)

Just Stop

Drum Solo

The Game

The Sound of Silence (Simon and Garfunkel cover)

Bass Solo

Indestructible

The Light

Stricken

Encore:

Unstoppable

Down With the Sickness

Inside the Fire

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