February 17, 2024 the legendary Disturbed rolled into Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena with support from Plush and Falling In Reverse. It was a chilly evening, but things would soon heat up. Fans poured into the arena, grabbing merch along the way before eventually settling into their seats. The energy in the arena was already electric before the first opener took the stage.
New York’s Plush was first to take the stage. They opened the set with their hit single "Athena," and everyone in the arena knew they meant business. Although Plush is young, they owned the stage like they belonged there. Frontwoman Moriah Formica has a ridiculously insane vocal range that commands attention.
Later in the set, Plush captured the hearts of many when they played the iconic Heart hit song, "Barracuda." Once again Formica’s vocals absolutely blew me away, and lead guitarist Bella Perron showcased her chops as everything was spot on while bassist Ashley Suppa and drummer Faith Powell held down the rhythm. Plush is on a fast ascent to stardom. These ladies were the perfect warm up for eager fans waiting to see the next acts.
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Falling In Reverse (FIR) was next up. The band has a massive fan base and I noticed loads of FIR merch in the crowd and all throughout the arena. That is not the case for me. I never got into their brand of music personally. However, I will admit that frontman Ronnie Radke is an exceptional showman and keeps the crowd engaged. There was a catwalk that ran from one side of the stage to the other that Radke would pace constantly. That along with the band being behind him and dimly lit, almost hidden from the bare eye, was a bit of a let down. All that being said, the band sounded tight and was driven by the GOAT, Luke Holland, on drums.
From the moment the band took the stage, the crowd erupted. Falling In Reverse opened the set with "Zombified" and followed up with fan favorites "I’m Not A Vampire" , "Losing My Mind" , and "Fuck You and All Your Friends." I wasn’t able to catch the rest of the set, but I can assure that they delivered a performance that the fans would love. Now was the time that everyone had been waiting for.
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A Kabuki is hung at the front of the stage. The crowd can see the small flickers of flames behind the curtain. Mike Wengren begins to pound the drums as the spotlight hits on each individual member. The Kabuki drops and all 4 members appear. The band begins the first song "Hey You" and has the crowd pumping their fists in the air.
Disturbed probably has the best stage production I’ve ever seen in my life. There’s was a three tier moving light structure suspended overhead each with its own pyro section. The structure would tilt and rotate in different ways to really give each song on the set list it’s own vibe. The lights and pyro combined with CO2 cannons was truly a sight to behold.
Ever so often, frontman David Draiman would take a break between songs to speak to the crowd. He would often speak about depression, addiction, and all the battles that we all face daily. Draiman, at one point, asked everyone in the arena to raise their hands if they had ever struggled with either of these and then told everyone to look around to see that no one was alone in their fight. I’ve never seen an artist or band be so connected with a crowd before.
Midway through the set, each band member got their own solo section. Don Donegan, Mike Wengren, and John Moyer took full advantage of their time.
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Nearing the end of the set, Plush’s Moriah Formica came on stage to perform Don’t Tell Me an once again singing the parts of the great Anne Wilson. Hearing Draiman and Formica sing together was a treat. You could close your eyes and you would have sworn that Wilson herself was on stage performing. That wasn’t the only trick Disturbed had up their sleeve. Two songs later, Chris Daughtry showed up on stage to perform the fan favorite "Stricken."
The encore ended the night with "Unstoppable" , "Down With The Sickness" , and "Inside The Fire." It truly was a pleasure seeing a band that has been doing this for the better part of 25 years. The band sounds just as tight and exactly as you hear on the record. If you missed out on this tour, I truly feel sorry for you.
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