Disturbed Show You The Light ( And Fire) in Tampa, FL

Mid FL Credit Union Amp, Tampa, FL 5AUG2023

The aptly named “Take Back Your Life” Tour from Disturbed has had some great guests on the bill, and for the Tampa, FL leg, Breaking Benjamin joined in with limited announcement.

Keith Wallen also From Breaking Benjamin, took the place of Jinjer in the opening slot, as they were across the pond playing at the annual Wacken festival.

With heavy heat and humidity, and a near-capacity crowd at the Mid Florida Credit Union Amphitheatre, people were doing everything they could to stay hydrated and cool. 

Joining Wallen on stage from Breaking Benjamin was Shaun Foist on drums, along with a touring guitarist and bassist. With an already packed amphitheater, the crowd didn’t initially pop for him as loudly as expected. However, by the second song, he was getting people to interact back and forth, and he was loosening into his stride at that point. 

As Wallen’s brand of mellow rock wafted in the hot August humidity during a short set, gaggles of VIP patrons made their way to the front of the fenced-off pit, and to up-front padded chairs. With clear bags filled with VIP merch, and men carrying their wife’s fanny packs like bandoliers of ammo, it was a great hint for the mixed-ages crowd that would pack Mid Florida. Talking about chasing your dreams, Wallen reminded people to never stop chasing them, because when they do, they will never come true.

Breaking Benjamin took to the stage next. With a white-out curtain hung, the band loaded in behind it and teased the audience with a single note. Opening with “Failure” the band was suddenly revealed as the curtain dropped and was whisked off to the side. With phones out, the crowd sang along, and damn near drown out lead guitarist and singer Benjamin Burnley. 

During “Breath” the guitar picks started flying out across the audience. This theme continued through the entire set. As the pit was showered in these bits of plastic, the crowd firmly took over for Burnley. While he was singing and you could hear it in the pit, even halfway back on the floor, and the crowd was simply drowning him out. They truly loved being there. The energy for the band firmly matched the attendance at this point, and the audience was the powerhouse tonight.

The rest of their 13-total song set was chock full of singalongs to songs like “Until The End”, “Polyamorous”, “So Cold,” and ending with “The Diary of Jane.” While a predictable set, it was damn good. Especially after 20 years of playing, the band has seen some serious ups and downs, but their ability to draw and entertain a crowd is beyond contestation.

Let’s start this off by making something crystal clear. The photos here do not to the pyrotechnics of Disturbed justice. No matter if it was because of liability, or something else, the fire seen in these photos from the pit is child’s play compared to the full show. As of this point, hands down the best pyro of any tour in 2023 thus far.

Much like Breaking Benjamin, Disturbed elected to use the drop curtain as well. However, they didn’t tease their presence with single notes. Instead, they posed and used backlights to allow their shadow to project. Larger than life shadow. Thanks to some terrific posing, they had the crowd in a rabid mood before the notes to “Hey You” rolled across the smokey and fiery darkness.

Decked out in a flowing sweater over a sleeveless t-shirt and jeans, in all black, David Draiman took command of the stage. With how he commanded the crowd one fan remarked “The choice of wardrobe of the singer was rather quirky, he looked more like a priest than a rock/metal singer…(By the) third song, he lost the priest cloak. He asked for fists, he got fists,” all night long!! Given Draiman’s background and upbringing, this was a unique choice to describe him, but not an unfitting one.

However, much like a priest, the fans who came out for Disturbed got more than they likely expected. While the band is known for their marathon sets, they covered 17 tracks and a three-song encore. For “A Reason to Fight”, Draiman took a moment to share his suicide prevention video and had everyone give a moment of silence for those, not with us.

Talking about his own story of addiction and depression, he shared how the demons almost got him this past February. Choking up in front of his son (despite admitting he hoped tonight he might not), he reminded us that this was our people. Our therapy session, and that we needed to let it out and enjoy it. 

Following that, Dan Donegan played a fantastic solo to re-orient the crowd, and work into “Land of Confusion.” For me, this is a song that never gets old. The nods to the original artist’s Genesis that instantly come to mind as they play always bring back tons of great memories.

Naturally, the crowd was singing along loudly, and keeping the positive energy flowing through the Amp. “The Animal” made its tour debut as well, and it was a magnificent touch before Mike Wengren hit his drum solo. An acoustic version of “Sound of Silence” followed two songs later, with various artists joining to help keep the acoustics of their cover of the Simon and Garfunkel tune.

Bringing out a fan from the meet and greet to tell his story, this young man shares his story of the loss of his family members, and especially the loss of his mother. Draiman not only invited him to stay for “The Light” but the rest of the band honored him as well. It was an emotional moment, with many around the Amp wiping their eyes. 

“The Light” followed, with the Amp lighting up via lighters and cell phones during the chorus lines. With a near-capacity crowd, it was almost daylight even though the stage lights died down during this part. It was a tremendous feeling and overall sense of family. Using “Unstoppable”, “Down With the Sickness,” and “Inside the Fire” for the encore, the band capped off an amazing 20-song total set. 

With Tampa on the later side of the mid-tour, the tour winds through Raleigh, NC on August 7th, Bristow, VA on August 9th, before wrapping up on September 2nd in Noblesville, Indiana. While the lack of Jinjer in Tampa was a downer for many, they’ll be back for the rest of the tour, with Breaking Benjamin also there for most of them as well!!