Disturbed celebrated 25 years of The Sickness with a sold-out hometown show at the United Center supported by Three Days Grace 2X and Sevendust.
Chicago’s United Center was entertained for an impressive four and a half hours when Disturbed stopped by this weekend. What a lineup they had with them! First up was Sevendust. These guys were not messing around and put on a performance worthy of a headliner. Despite the early start time for the show (festivities kicked off at 6:30 PM), the United Center was already decently filled when they took to the stage. Lajon Witherspoon worked the catwalk and the audience right from the get-go.
Their 30-minute set had the audience up on their feet and thoroughly engaged. They included some of their biggest songs, such as “Face to Face,” “Denial,” and “Enemy.” As an extra treat for the audience, David Draiman joined them as they rounded out their set with “Black.”
If you are heading to this show, it is definitely worth getting there in time to catch all of the bands.
Next up was the the highly-anticipated Three Days Grace 2X. This tour kicked off on January 25th and marked the first full show with Adam Gontier since his return to the band was announced, having parted ways 12 years ago. It was a real treat getting to see both Gontier and Matt Walst share the vocals and to say the atmosphere was electric was an understatement. Again, you could have been excused for thinking this was the headlining act from the performance they put on and the reaction from the excited and enthusiastic crowd.Their set was an hour long and included songs from both the Gontier and Walst eras. There seemed to be true chemistry with the two singers, which led to a different and invigorating performance.
The band are putting out new music with this current lineup, and here’s hoping the format is around for some time to come.
This tour is called The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour and so to honor this album in the best way possible, they are performing it in its entirety. Their performance consisted of two sets – The Sickness and their greatest hits – hence the early start time. The Sickness included hits such as “Down With The Sickness” and “Stupify,” and has stood the test of time, sounding as fresh today as it did 25 years ago.Three Days Grace wasn’t the only band to have a reunion, as Steve “Fuzz” Kmak, Disturbed’s original bassist, joined them for the first half of their performance (for the first time in 22 years). Meanwhile, their current bassist John Moyer took over the duties for the greatest hits section of the show.
The production of their set was impressive. It was kicked off with Dan Donegan, Steve Kmak, and Mike Wengren each taking their places as a masked David Draiman was wheeled out in a similar style to Hannibal Lecter. David, Dan, and Steve made full use of the catwalk stage, bringing the show up close and personal to the general admission section. The pyrotechnics added to the spectacle.
The Sickness may be celebrating 25 years, but this is by no means a farewell tour or cashing in on an old album. Filling the United Center just goes to show that these guys are still going from strength to strength even after all of these years. The days of catching them at the Metro or the Vic are a distant memory.
After a brief intermission, they continued with a set of greatest hits which included “Ten Thousand Fists” and “Inside The Fire.” They also included their cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence”which is a unique take on this classic tune with David and the band making it their own.
There’s still plenty of dates scheduled for this tour so do yourself a favor and get those tickets if they come to a venue near you. And make sure to get yourself there early to enjoy all of the acts.
