Sometimes time passes so quickly that in a blink of an eye, 25 years has passed and it feels like only days. Disturbed hit Seattle on their 25th anniversary of 'The Sickness'. Their penultimate album that played on repeat for so many young metalheads in the early 2000's. The arena was packed with young and old alike, all decked out in their favorite shirts from over the years. Stepping into the arena was like stepping back in time to when I was a freshman in high school. When I was just starting out on metal and alternative journey. Celebrating a band's achievements is always such a fun thing to be a part of.
But, before that could happen, Nothing More hit the stage with the deafening sound of applause. Jonny Hawkins has such a huge stage presence that it's hard to give your attention to anything else. Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, Nothing More has been bending the genre since 2003, and even though they have had many members come and go, their sound is better than ever with Mark Vollelunga, Daniel Oliver, and Ben Anderson adding to Hawkins' dominating tones.
Kicking off the night with "House On Sand", I'll admit that I haven't listened to them much before this. But being able to hear that song start everything off made me an instant fan. "Jenny" has to be my favorite of their set, and that song has been on repeat ever since. The energy that they put into the air got everyone off their feet and hyped up that I could feel it radiating from everyone at barricade. It was a wonderful sight to see.
Next up was Daughtry, led by Chris Daughtry who is someone I have looked up to for a very long time. Since his run on American Idol and then his skyrocket to fame after with the help of his band, being able to see him live and up close was nothing short of breathtaking. With Brian Craddock and Marty O'Brien on guitar and bass, respectfully they kept the crowd on their toes and it was only amplified by Anthony Ghazel on drums, and Elvio Fernandes on keyboard.
There was a nice mix of new songs as well as the songs that made them famous. Being able to hear "It's not over" live and in person was something that brought me to tears. That song, as well as Home had been so instrumental to me since their release. They got me through some of the hardest times of my life, and it was an honor to be able to briefly meet Chris after his set while waiting for the main event.
After a heavy wait, you could tell everyone was hanging with baited breath for the main event to start, and start it did. Being wheeled out onto the stage in Hannibal Lecter fashion, was frontman David Drainman. Before the music even began, the anticipation was swelling to a level that you could feel it like something palpable -- something that you could choke on at any moment.
In almost a tease, there was quite a long wait before the first chords of Voices rang out through the arena, but the moment it did all that pent up energy exploded and the sound of applause was almost deafening. It's been 25 years since Down with the Sickness debuted to astounding reception, and tonight they played the album in it's entirety.
Dan Donegan and John Moyer kept the crowd on their toes and interacted with everyone they could while keeping the energy up. It was surreal having them so close in front of my lens and being able to see the magic that they brought to the stage. Mike Wengren was at home, as always behind the kit and looked like he was having the time of his life.
Everyone was going crazy for the guys, and David's look of happiness and astonishment at the sheer amount of people in attendance showed that they truly have a love and devotion to their fans -- the fans that have made the last twenty five years of this album so special.
