Disturbed Sells Out the Rapids Theatre

By on April 8, 2016

David Draiman (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

David Draiman (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

Not many bands are able to pull of what Disturbed did last year. After being on a hiatus since 2011, Disturbed secretly got back together in the studio last year and recorded Immortalized. The album was announced on June 23rd along with a music video for their first single “The Vengeful One” on the same day. With the album due for August, Disturbed fans had no idea what the band had up its sleeves. The day of the album release, Disturbed played to a sold-out House of Blues in Chicago, Illinois. With all of the hype around the return of Disturbed and the new album, a 2016 tour was announced starting in February. Choosing to start small again, the band booked small venues instead of the typical arena for them. The “Immortalized Tour” would run from February through April and included a stop in Niagara Falls, NY at The Rapids Theatre.

Elias Soriano (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

Elias Soriano (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

As expected, this tour sold out incredibly fast. Scrolling through Disturbed’s tour dates fans would only see “SOLD-OUT” next to every single show. After tickets were long gone for this “warm-up” tour, it was announced that Nonpoint would be opening each night. With Disturbed and Nonpoint teaming up, fans would be in for a special night.

Dan Donegan - Distrubed (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

Dan Donegan – Distrubed (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

After two months out on the road, Disturbed finally brought their tour to The Rapids Theatre on Tuesday, April 5th. Even with the show scheduled to start at 8PM, fans packed the floor tight as early as 7pm. Although most people bought their tickets planning to just see Disturbed, having Nonpoint open was only an added bonus. These Florida rockers opened the night up with their song Miracle and that got the crowd right into it. It was an easy night for Nonpoint who had no problem winning the crowd over. Their 10-song setlist was highlighted with their cover of Phil Collins’ song “In The Air Tonight” along with their fan-favorite “Bullet With A Name”. Lead singer Elias Soriano had complete control of the crowd from start to finish. The rest of the band members were complete animals on stage. Guitarist Rasheed Thomas and B.C. Kochmit were busy jumping around and letting their dreadlocks fly around in the air. Robb Rivera has been the beast behind the drum kit from the start for Nonpoint and is showing no signs of slowing down. Last but not least, Adam Woloszyn filled in the bass grooves perfectly. Nonpoint seemed like they could have stayed out on stage for another hour but unfortunately the fans were eagerly waiting for Disturbed to take the stage.

Elias Soriano (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

Elias Soriano & Robb Rivera (drums) (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

 

B.C. Kochmit - Nonpoint (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

B.C. Kochmit – Nonpoint (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

As the night’s headliner, Disturbed, took the stage to “Ten Thousand Fists”, the crowd went absolutely crazy. After waiting 5 years to see the band return, fans surely brought their singing voices and helped lead singer David Draiman belt out the lyrics. Next up was, “The Game” a definite crowd favorite from their album The Sickness. For an album that came out 16-years ago, the tracks off it still sound fresh and never get old for fans. The rest of the night was a perfect mix of Disturbed’s catalog. The band chose to play “The Vengeful One,” “The Light,” and their Simon & Garfunkel cover of  “The Sound of Silence” from their latest release Immortalized. For their cover of “The Sound Of Silence,” the band brought out a small orchestra and some acoustic guitars that completely changed the atmosphere in the room. Watching the entire theatre come together as one with their cell phones and lighters in the air just showed how powerful their rendition is.

John Moyer - Distrubed (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

John Moyer – Distrubed (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

The stage was quickly set back to finish the business Disturbed started earlier in the night. Next up after “Sound Of Silence” were “Inside The Fire,” “Stricken” and “The Light.” If Disturbed have one thing, it’s hits. There wasn’t a single song that night that the crowd wasn’t singing along with. The setlist was smooth and seemed to have pretty much everything to make those who waited 5 years to see them return perfectly content. One thing to note is how much fun the band was having on stage. Both John Moyer on bass and Dan Donegan on guitar were all over the stage interacting with the crowd and showing their enjoyment. Together those two and drummer Mike Wengren combined for a tight and crisp sound. There was definitely no rust on the Disturbed train after 5 years of being shut down. The break left the members time to relax and do their own thing and now they’re back and completely rejuvenated.

Dan Donegan (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

Dan Donegan (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

Another highlight of the show was when Disturbed had some fun and did a cover melody. The covers included “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2, “Baba O’Riley” by The Who and “Killing In The Name” by Rage Against The Machine. To the crowds delight, Elias from Nonpoint came out on stage and joined Disturbed during “Killing In The Name.” This was a unique pairing and together Disturbed and Elias Soriano sent the crowd overboard and everyone went wild. After the melody mix, the sirens began to ring and everyone knew it was “Indestructible”, the title track off their 2008 album. The night ended with two songs off of The Sickness, which were “Voices” and last but not least, “Down With The Sickness.” The crowd was left begging for more as the members of Disturbed said their goodbyes and threw their guitar picks and drum sticks to them.

David Draiman (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

David Draiman (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

Moyer jumps (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

Moyer jumps (photo Mark McGauley / MMP)

This tour was only the beginning of a very busy year for Disturbed. The band will return to the area this summer with a stop at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center along with Breaking Benjamin, Alter Bridge and Saint Asonia. For more information on Disturbed and Nonpoint visit their websites at www.disturbed1.com and www.nonpoint.com.

More Mark McGauley photos:

Nonpoint Setlist:

Miracle

What A Day

Hands Off

Misery

The Truth

That Day

Breaking Skin

In The Air Tonight

F**K’D

Bullet With A Name

Disturbed Setlist:

Ten Thousand Fists

The Game

The Vengeful One

Prayer

Liberate

Land Of Confusion

A Welcome Burden

Stupify

Darkness

The Sound Of Silence

Inside The Fire

Stricken

The Light

Melody Cover (Closer/I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For/Baba O’Riley/Killing In The Name)

Indestructible

Voices

Down With The Sickness

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