Breaking Benjamin Kicks Off Fall North American Tour in Camden
- Kara Maddox
- 18 hours ago
- 4 min read
For the past few years, 2000s rock icons Breaking Benjamin have been on an extensive hiatus from releasing music, with their most recent album releasing in 2020. This year however, the band released the single “Something Wicked”, signaling a long-awaited new era for the band. To celebrate, Breaking Benjamin embarked on an extensive North American headliner tour, visiting amphitheaters across the country up until the end of October. On September 2, the band kicked off the tour at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, NJ. With an 18-song setlist, the band delivered a performance that the fans would never forget.
Starting off the night was alt-rock artist Kami Kehoe. For the past year, Kami Kehoe has been making a name for herself, continuing to rise in popularity ever since the release of her 2025 EP KANDY. Kami’s blend of rock, pop, and other genre-bending elements makes her a unique presence in the scene. On August 28, only a few days before this show, Kami released her newest studio album LOVE IS A WEAPON. She played several songs from the new album such as “PSYCHO”, “UR GONE”, and the title track “LOVE IS A WEAPON”. Kami’s energetic stage presence also captivated the crowd, and it didn’t take long for the audience to sing and dance along with the music. Once Kami ended the set with her 2025 track “DOPAMINE”, it was clear she successfully warmed up the crowd for the upcoming acts.
The second opener to take the stage was theatrical rock band Starset. Starset is known for their entertaining and creative live performances, and them being an opening act makes no difference. The band creates immersive sci-fi stories in their music and uses their performances as a tool to share them. The band walked out in white outfits and glowing red helmets, while the vocalist Dustin Bates stood still on a platform wearing a black cloak and mask, and opened with their newest track “parad0x1c”, the live debut of the song. During the third track, “Brave New World”, Dustin took off the mask and freely walked around the stage. The band also performed an unreleased track from their upcoming album, “ann1h1lat10n”. No matter if they were just being introduced to Starset that night, everyone in the crowd immediately became immersed in the performance. Between the captivating visuals and their larger-than-life sound, Starset takes their performances to the next level, fully capturing everyone’s attention.
The final opener of the night was 90s rock band Chevelle. Consisting of two brothers, vocalist Pete Loeffler and drummer Sam Loeffler, the band has consistently delivered major hits throughout the years, especially with their 2001 breakthrough album Wonder What’s Next. With an extensive 12-song setlist, the band performed tracks throughout their discography, with many older tracks and some newer tracks from their latest 2025 album Bright as Blasphemy. The crowd never died down for a moment, consistently singing and moving along. The first crowdsurfers of the night even started to come halfway through the set, including one dressed as Santa which Pete pointed out. To close out the set, Chevelle performed their biggest hit “The Red”, and the voices of the crowd boomed throughout the venue as they sang along to every lyric. By that time, the fans were fully energized for the headlining act.
At around 9:30pm, the lights dimmed for the final time that night as the screens on the stage lit up, showing a sequence of an old Windows computer going on Limewire to download Breaking Benjamin songs. As the sequence ended, Breaking Benjamin finally walked onto the stage as the venue filled with cheers. The band opened with their hit “I Will Not Bow” from their 2009 album Dear Agony, already getting the fans hyped and singing along. Early in the set, fans could tell that there was a new addition to the touring lineup, to which vocalist Benjamin Burnley introduced everyone to his son Ben, who played guitar and backing vocals throughout the set. Benjamin mentioned that his son helped on the upcoming album, which is why he brought him along to perform at the Camden show.
With melodic choruses, thrilling riffs, and angst-filled lyrics, Breaking Benjamin’s signature sound is what made them a major name in the rock scene. Throughout the set, the band played songs that spanned their whole discography, such as tracks from their 2004 album We Are Not Alone, their 2015 album Dark Before Dawn, their breakthrough 2006 album Phobia, and more. Halfway through the set, the screens on the stage began playing a compilation of TikToks of fans dancing to the band’s hit “Dear Agony”, making that the segue into the song. The voices of the crowd rivaled the band’s as they sang along to every word. The band also performed their newest tracks “Something Wicked” and “Awaken”, and Benjamin pointed out that his son is the one who sang the whispered breakdown intro of “Something Wicked”.
The energy of the crowd never died down for a moment during Breaking Benjamin’s set, and even a few crowdsurfers came through. Towards the end of the set, Benjamin mentioned that this show was a special one not only because his son was there to perform, but his brother and mom were also there. The band then closed out their set with the fan-favorites “Dance With The Devil” and “The Diary of Jane”, which had the fans singing along until the very last note, ending the show with a bang. Between how sentimental the show was for the band with several family members being able to join them, as well as the nonstop energy of the crowd, Breaking Benjamin’s show in Camden was a very memorable start of the tour.
