Few bands can pack an entire arena on a Tuesday night, but Disturbed is one of those bands that you just don’t miss. With openers Plush and Falling in Reverse, Disturbed recently came to CFG Arena in Baltimore for their Take Back Your Life Tour.
Girl band Plush opened up the night on Feb. 13, and got everyone in the mood with some powerhouse vocals from lead singer Moriah. While these girls’ ages range from 18-22, don’t let that fool you — they’re completely talented beyond their years. As they started playing, it became clear why just how and why these girls ended up on tour with such large-name bands.
Next up was Falling in Reverse, a personal favorite of mine. I saw these guys during my first concert ever (Warped Tour 2012 anyone?) and have been obsessed with them since. Playing most of their hits, I made sure to actually get to my seat after shooting photos so that I could watch them perform again after 12 years. It was a set I’m so happy I didn’t miss as they played older songs like “I’m Not a Vampire” and “The Drug in Me is You,” intertwined with new hits like “Voices in My Head,” “Popular Monster,” and closing with ”Watch the World Burn.”
The lighting for the set bathed the band in glows of demonic reds and yellows, really selling the hard rock, “screw the haters” vibe that the band has often been known and celebrated for. Their high energy antics kept everyone in the crowd moving and singing along with frontman, Ronnie Radke, recording the stadium audience through a VR headset to stream after, showing off just how much the band prides themselves on their success despite criticism.
Finally, Disturbed came on the stage, and blew our minds as expected. With a sheet pulled in front of the stage in between sets, the audience was left in anticipation of what could possibly be coming. As the sheet was pulled, a fully pyrotechnic backdrop was revealed, causing the audience to lose their minds for the set ahead of them. Opening with “Hey You” and “Stupify”, we were in for a roller coaster that brought all ranges of feelings to the surface, going from hard rock, to softer, emotional songs like their cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence” and “The Light.”
Watch the official music video for “The Light” by Disturbed on YouTube:
Just prior to starting “The Light”, frontman David pulled a VIP on stage to share his inspiring story of overcoming addiction and how the band’s music helped him through the roughest moments in life, as well as a father and his three sons, aged 4-15, that had been rocking out to the entire show and caught his attention. The choice to pull those specific people up on stage for that song highlighted the range of emotions that we had all been going through during the course of the night, and reminded each and every one of us that we are never alone in our struggles and in our joys in life, which I personally thought made the set even more personal to each member of the audience. Closing with the classic anthem, “Down with the Sickness,” everyone left the arena in shock and awe at the night they had just experienced.
Overall, it was a night to remember for a lot of reasons, and I would highly recommend anyone thinking of attending a show on this tour to just go and do it. It’s an experience of a lifetime to see such talent while also using the music to work through anything that may be going on in your life. Or just to rock out to amazing songs and have a good time with good people. For all the hate hard rock and metal gets, I’ve seen less fights at shows like this than pop music, so maybe it’s time for us all to take another look and see The Light…
Check out Disturbed on Spotify:
More photos from the night below!
