Disturbed

OOH-WAH-AH-AH-AH!! Chicago’s premier heavy metal band Disturbed are one of those bands that have to been seen live to fully appreciate what they’re all about. On record and, in particular, in the press, singer Mad Davey Draiman (as he’s unaffectionately known here in the UK, much to the singer’s dislike) and Disturbed’s brand of chugging nu-metal-esque alternative rock can come across as clumsy and silly.
But I have been a believer ever since I first saw them peddling their Believe album at Brixton Academy in 2002 (supported by the Darkness, would you believe!). On the stage, David Draiman’s vocals excel, whether furiously barking or hitting those high near-classical notes, and the power of those chugging riffs suddenly exude power like Pantera at their most accessible. The choruses of old favourties like ‘Voices’, ‘Stupify’, the insane ‘Down With The Sickness’ and ‘Prayer’ have aged better than you might imagine, and more recently they have delivered more ‘serious’, thrash metal-inspired songs like ‘Asylum’ and ‘Indestructible’, which took them to arenas in both the US and the UK.
The band are currently on hiatus, but I fully expect them to come back louder and more inspired than ever, as the metal world is a much less interesting place without the ramblings of Draiman and his cohorts; it took them leaving for us to realise it.

It’s not difficult, on the face of it, to understand quite why Disturbed have managed to carve out such a fervent cult following; their five records have straddled the line between alternative metal and hard rock quite intelligently, and have been laced with a humour and self-awareness that sets them apart form many of their contemporaries, in a scene where taking oneself too seriously remains an occupational hazard that’s commonly fallen foul of. Another key ingredient, though, has been their live shows; aggressive, noisy and often spectacular, Disturbed’s reputation on the circuit has been a crucial part of cementing their success. Frontman David Draiman is a force of nature on stage; he translates the vocal ferocity that he delivers on record to every aspect of his performance, bringing an irrepressible energy that challenges his bandmates to keep up with him, and acting as a conduit to the audience, too, feeding off of their fist-pumping throughout. That’s to say nothing of his vocal prowess, either; Draiman has one of the most impressive ranges in metal, but the fact that he can do his recorded performances justice whilst putting in such a vigorous shift is testament to the kind of showmanship that currently has Disturbed fans beginning to get a little anxious about the length of their current hiatus, one which they’d promised wouldn’t be permanent.

Incredible atmosphere and an incredible performance by Disturbed!! They (David) gave a beautiful speech about mental health awareness amidst the untimely passing of Keith Flint. I was moved to tears. Being united as an audience at a concert - particularly rock concerts in my opinion - is always a very special experience. To be so intimately connected to thousands of strangers for a few hours is a wonderful indescribable feeling. For those few hours, we are not alone, we are surrounded by like-minded individuals who are all there for the same reason; to support the artists and the music we love. Disturbed made this experience even more special through their performance. It was loud, it was passionate, and it was damn near perfect. The production value alone was off the charts. This was my first Disturbed concert and it definitely will not be my last. Special shoutout to Three Days Grace - they killed it like always. Three Days Grace will always hold a special place in my heart as a hometown band that I grew up with. They never disappoint! I can't wait to see both bands again!

Watched Disturbed on the 1st of 2 nights at The O2 Arena as support to Avenged Sevenfold.
Opening with the title track of their current album, Immortalized, they delivered a very polished and powerful set including tracks from most albums.
You could hear a pin drop when David Draiman and sung a gutsy rendition of the "Sound of Silence" and crowd interaction with their mobile phones for "The Light".
The crowd were loud and very passionate which I felt the band were, if not surprised but we're a little taken aback with. A proud moment to savour.
Finishing with their classic "Down with the Sickness" in which the floor area kicked into life with circle pits appearing all over the floor and the fans in the seats at least stood up for this song, even if it was Dave Draiman who requested them to do so.
As always, the question is did I enjoy it and would I see them again?
Yes and Yes. Disturbed seem to improve every time I see then. My hope is that the next time I do see them, it will be as the headliners of the show.
Absolutely brilliant!!!

First the bad points.
Ally Pally ventilation was non existent. Even without any limb movement everyone was sweating like a pig. Imagine what happened when some started to. External temperature was a healthy 13C, so no excuses accepted. Big fire effects made it even worse.
Sound quality was questionable. Seems to be slightly better when Skindread heated up the public, but later on distortion was pretty bad to my ears. And I'm about the voice and overal sound, not guitars...
Good points?
Everything else very smooth. Starting from massive, but well organised queue.
Gig itself very good. Skindread, maybe not my favourite, but live was perfect. One of the best supports I've ever seen.
Disturbed concert was as expected. Many old hits and songs from new album. Dave built great atmosphere from the beginning up to the big end.

David is an exceptional leader and advocates for humanity through his fans. Most great bands speak through their music. Very few bands speak out about their music. The band's pervasive refusal to ignore the demons of depression had a remarkable and lasting impression on me last night.

Where else can you have 10,000 individuals converge in common understanding around a piece of music? The band's gesture to bring up fans onstage as a family, speaks to their humility. The willingness for them to "GET UP" and raise their hands in the admission of their own personal struggles despite enormous success. We are not alone. The show was much more than just well-orchestrated musicians. It was a reminder that under the tapestry of individual notes, WE ARE ALL ONE. Stephen Kalyta

This concert had the best light show I have ever seen - and that's a resume of over 190 concerts for me. Every song had different lighting - some had red/blue, some had green/orange, and one song even had purple lights - I've never seen anyone use PURPLE lights.

The venue itself is amazing. I had my own seat so the concert was also comfortable.

Overall, the energy of the band was mesmerizing. Although there is only 4 of them on this enormous stage, their presence filled up the remaining space.

I loved Distrubed before, but after this experience they are definitely my favorite band of all time.

David is not only an amazing vocal, but an even better person. Thank you, David, my brother, for making the trip to Vienna worthwhile <3

You can not call yourself a true metalhead if you have not seen Disturbed live. Every show of theirs that I've seen has been mindblowing. David Draiman comes onstage in a straight jacket which is amazing. There were pyrotechnics, really cool videos playing in the background of the stage, and David's voice is perfection. So many bands these days simply go on stage, play their songs, and leave. Disturbed not only gets you and the entire audience pumped up, but they deliver one of the best live performances ever (and I've seen Metallica and Alice Cooper so I know good performances when I see one). Even if you're not a fan of metal shows, you really need to catch a Disturbed show as it will be unlike anything you've ever seen!

What a great night, excellent views from the disabled viewing platform. Skindred were as funny and metal as usual! Then came the mighty Disturbed, amazing background imagery, they always deliver! David in one of his most empathic moods, he's just found out about Ogie, Oy, Ogie, Oy, Ogie, Ogie, Ogie, Oy, Oy, Oy! He asked us to explain. Lots of British bands do it, have done for years! He said "I like that shit!"
Dan, John & Mike were all on form as was David. There isnt a vocalist that can do what he does, the way he does it! Amazing
Please come back soon.

They were so amazing. They made me feel so good and David had such good speeches between the songs. It made me feel energetic, nostalgic and also a bit sad when he told the truth about addictions and depression.
It was such an amazing experience I swear and I hope they’ll come back soon. I love their songs and I love them all.

Skindred was as well good. These guys have cool music and also lyrics. Benji knew how to control and interact with the crowd and make as well jokes. I liked so much their songs as well and I also hope they’ll come back soon.