When I found out that I had the opportunity to go to the sold-out Disturbed concert at the Armory last Saturday, I didn’t know what to expect.
Despite spending the better part of everyday listening to metal, I had never heard anything by either Disturbed or Skindred, one of the opening bands.
However, immediately after arriving at the Armory I knew I would be in for a good time. Lined up in the cold for hours on end were the excited fans, hoping to get in before the concert ended.
This excitement carried on inside with Skindred, a reggae/metal fusion band from the UK. From the very first wail of the guitar to the handheld piano solo finale, Skindred had the crowd in a frenzy.
‘Everybody bounce!” lead singer Benji Webbe commanded throughout the show, and bounce everybody did. With the Armory packed with people, this was an impressive sight to see.
Despite being from the UK, the band seemed familiar with Rochester and the local radio station that sponsored the show. The band also spent a good amount of time interacting with the crowd, building the excitement for the night’s main attraction, Disturbed.
As the lights dimmed for the last time, a sole figure was wheeled out on stage in a straightjacket and muzzle Disturbed’s lead singer David Draiman. From here, the show only got crazier.
As packed as the Armory was for Skindred, twice as many people managed to squeeze in to see Disturbed.
From the front of the stage, the view was stunning. While I knew that the Armory could only hold 5,000 people, by the time Disturbed played the title track ‘Ten Thousand Fists,” I was sure that I was seeing twice that many fists held high.
When the band left the stage before the final song, the cheering never stopped.
Standing behind the bouncers, I got to experience the music turned up to 11. But as the band left the stage, I was sure the sounds of the crowd cheering were even louder than the music.
For all this excitement, however, Disturbed did not spend much time interacting with the crowd. Instead, the band moved straight from song to song until the end, pausing only to introduce the next song. As the night approached an end, the band finally started to come alive, compelling the members of the sold out crowd to raise their fists in the air and sing along.
When it came time for the climax, Disturbed came out for an encore and played the hit song, ‘Down With the Sickness,” with the entire concert hall screaming along with the band.
Then with a simple ‘Good Night,” the concert was over.
As I filed out of the hall, I couldn’t help but feel slightly underwhelmed by Disturbed’s performance compared to the enthusiasm shown by Skindred, though maybe I was just feeling bitter about my lost hearing.
Sabo is a member of the class of 2009.
