Disturbed brought fire, intensity and compassion to USANA Amphitheater in Salt Lake City Utah on July 13, 2023. The show included two other amazing bands Breaking Benjamin and Jinjer.
The show began in the early evening with temperature still close to 100 degrees. The first band to take the stage was the always intense Jinjer. This Ukrainian export brought a fire to the stage that could only be matched by actual flame itself. Singer Tatiana Shmayluk commented on the heat that afternoon but it didn’t slow her and her band mates as they blazed through some of their heaviest songs including “Call Me a Symbol,” “Vortex,” “Copycat,” and their latest single “As I Boil Ice.” This young band has a bright future in front of them and I can’t wait to see them play a full set on their own.
Up next was veteran metal band Breaking Benjamin. These guys have been putting out hit after hit since their early days in Pennsylvania. Lead by guitarist and vocalist Benjamin Burnley, their set lacked the usual flames and intensity driven props. They made up for the props by playing a variety of their most amazing hits which included “Failure,” “Red Cold River,” and “Angels Fall.” A Breaking Benjamin show would not be complete with out the the fan favorite sing along song “I Will Not Bow.” A thirteen song set for these guys hardly seems long enough, but they made it work and left plenty of time for the headliners.
The opening music began and shadows of Disturbed appeared against a white stage sheet. The sheet would soon drop and reviled the band ready to set the night on fire. It began with, “Hey You” which quickly transitioned into “Stupify” and soon the flames would begin to engulf the stage. The hits kept coming as did the flames. Bassist John Moyer had a hard time keeping his feet on the ground, jumping throughout the whole show as did guitarist Dan Donegan. Stuck behind his drum kit Mike Wengren did not let the crowd forget about him, smashing through a drum solo midway through the show. The architect that kept it all in check was vocalist David Draiman. He paused after “A Reason to Fight” to give an impassioned talk about the devastating effects of depression and substance abuse. The speech touched everyone in attendance in one way or another. The speech hit very close to home to me as a matter of fact. The world lost an amazing vocalist and dear friend when Metal Church vocalist Mike Howe took his own life. The speech brought memories of Mike back to the surface as well as tears to my eyes.
The show continued with “The Game” and then came one of the highlights of the night for me. The lights went dim and a piano rolled out on stage and the band played their amazing rendition of “The Sound of Silence.” The song was played with so much intensity you could feel the music flowing through the audience and back to the band. The piano would soon erupt in flames itself as the song came to its crescendo. Songs like “Indestructible” and “Stricken” would not be left off the set and the crowd loved hearing them.
The band arouse once again for the encore and invited two fans on stage who explained how Disturbed’s music empowered them to keep fighting. Once again my own journey in life was brought back to the surface. In 2015 my battle with cancer took me to the hospital for chemo treatments every other week. Upon arriving I would put on headphones with my favorite songs to inspire me to to carry on. One of those songs was the next song to be played. It was called “Down with the Sickness.”
The final song of the evening was “Inside the Fire” which we could all relate to at one point or another.
Disturbed not only put on an amazing live show but a show that was meant to inspire and move the audience. At more than one point in my life their music helped inspire me to fight and not give up. That playlist of songs is still a part of my life and used now as a celebration of the journey I walked and the beast I conquered.
Check out this tour, it may not change your life but if it does it will be for the better. The tour continues through the summer in a city near you.
