Disturbed bassist John Moyer rocks out to an enthusiastic crowd at this year’s “Music As a Weapon” tour at the Main Street Armory.
Only the most dedicated hard rock fans would bother to bear the freezing cold for hours, waiting for the doors of the Main Street Armory to open.
A crowd of all ages and personal styles huddled together in anticipation of the beginning of the 2011 “Music as a Weapon” tour.
My friends and I found ourselves only three or four layers of bodies away from the stage barrier, and were standing near the middle of the stage, but slightly to the left. We figured our spots were decent, but I was determined to get to the front of the crowd by the time Korn showed up to play. This year’s lineup included In This Moment, Sevendust, Korn and Disturbed.
In This Moment was the opening act, and the female vocalist Maria Brink, screeched with the best of them, and ran around the stage in a short, white pixy-dress. They played for about a half an hour, showcasing some of their best songs, such as “Gun Show.”
As the mosh pits got started and the crowd warmed up, I began my mission to move my way toward the front of the crowd. With only one person to push out of my way, I waited for my opportunity.
Seven guards decided that the mosh pits were getting too violent and jumped the barrier to stop the commotion, thus confusing the front line. So I made my move and took the very front spot, for which I battled with the guy on my right during the tour’s next set, which was Sevendust.
Sevendust was fantastic; their lead singer, Lajon Witherspoon, was full of energy and his vocals were clear. They played my favorite song of theirs, “Enemy” along with “Unraveling” and “Face to Face.”
I even caught a drumstick and a guitar pick during their set, but there was a 14-year-old to my left who was going nuts over their music, so I gave him the drumstick.
Korn would not let up for anything during their performance, despite that audience members were pushing each other more and more the closer Disturbed came to playing. Realizing that it was their last chance to get to the front, the crowd tried desperately to push their way through, and the mosh pits went into overdrive.
Jonathan Davis, Korn’s crazy lead singer came out in a very relaxed black and white tracksuit. His ability to recreate every unusual sound from their recordings blew my mind.
The band really got the crowd fired up with their medley of older hits, which they balanced with some of their newer material. At the end, I caught two Korn guitar picks, one of which I gave to a friend.
When Korn finished, the insane atmosphere escalated to a whole new level. Disturbed has been my favorite band since I was eight years old. Before the crew started setting the stage for Disturbed, they hoisted a giant black curtain around the stage to mask what they were doing.
The crowd was restless, wondering what amazing visuals the stage crew was trying to hide. You could see random screens blinking white for a few seconds, then going black once again. Never having been to a Disturbed concert, I had no idea what was going on. Finally, stagehands gathered at the bottom of the curtain, ready to reveal what they had built, after what seemed like an eternity.
Before my eyes, a stage full of giant screens played the a series of ridiculous images and video clips. The band was on fire. I was in awe of the entire production.
Just like Korn, Disturbed played a wonderful combination of all their best songs from all four of their albums. The screen displayed different images according to the song they were playing. During “Animal,” wolf packs and the moon were present and during “Inside the Fire” they showed hungry flames.
My favorite Disturbed moment was during “Stupify.” David Draiman, the lead singer, sang the lyrics, “All the people in the left wing rock/And all the people in the right wing rock,” and each respective side responded.
The crowd’s enthusiasm was mind numbing and it was a fulfilling feeling to be apart of something so huge, even if for just a few seconds. I was completely satisfied, and every bruise was worth it.
As a whole, the show was great, as all the bands were high-energy and gave a solid delivery. I went to the concert primarily for Korn and Disturbed, but I became a Sevendust fan in the process. I’m very much looking forward to next year’s “Music As a Weapon Tour.” The show was well worth it, and if you didn’t go, you definitely missed out on a great time!
Ward is a member of the class of 2014.
