For a few strange years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a novel phenomenon hung around the Billboard charts. It was called nu metal, a dark infusion of alt rock, hip-hop, and heavy metal that made stars of acts like Limp Bizkit and Korn, at least for a while. Many of those bands are the butts of jokes in hindsight, but some stood the test of time. For example, enter Disturbed.
The band, led by frontman David Draiman, released the hitmaking album “The Sickness” in 2000, and its 25th anniversary was the celebratory cause of their current tour. “The Sickness” spawned hits “Down With The Sickness” and “Stupify.” The band maintained commercial success through the decades, even earning much later recognition with their 2015 cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sounds of Silence.”
At their PPG Paints Arena concert on Saturday night, the band was supported by two openers. Nothing More kicked the night off with a raucous half-hour of well-sung metal songs and incredibly intense drumming. Their song “Jenny” was a particularly good listen. Following them was Daughtry, led by “American Idol” alumnus Chris Daughtry. The band had a pair of hits in the mid-aughts with “It’s Not Over” and “Home,” both of which found their way onto Saturday night’s setlist, along with a just-OK cover of Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart).” The lead singer very sweetly had the whole crowd wish a happy birthday to his wife, Deanna.
Disturbed played a double set, starting with the album “The Sickness” in its entirety (this trend is one I can’t get enough of; every band should do anniversary tours where they play whole albums in order). The one disadvantage to this gambit is how disorienting it can feel to have the band’s biggest songs played so early in a show.
Before Disturbed came on, a flickery video package of the past two and a half decades played on the big screen before it rose to reveal the band, standing in front of a wall of scaffolding and light stacks that came in handy throughout the show.
“The Sickness” starts with “Voices,” a thumping tune that kicked off with a pyrotechnic scream from Draiman. The lights behind him shone red as the band thrashed into the opening song.
Let’s talk about David Draiman. His voice is insane. Most well-known for his grunting, screaming and howling — as well as what I’ve affectionately called “demonic scatting” — his voice is so resonant and melodious that it’s hard to imagine how he keeps it healthy through all of the growling. But he sounds just as good now as he did 10 and 25 years ago.
“Stupify” and “Down With The Sickness” were a lethal back-to-back combination, the third and fourth tracks on the album. The crowd pounded their fists in the air as columns of fire shot up behind the band, and Draiman stalked the stage, bald and resplendent in an all-black Department of Corrections jumpsuit.
“Speak to me!” he shouted to the crowd before launching into “Stupify” under devilish red lights. Even through the screaming, the song’s bridge showed off his vocal talent with curlicues of notes that echoed around the arena.
“Down with the Sickness” announced itself with pounding drums and chugging guitar that built up until Draiman emitted the song’s iconic “oohwah-ah-ah-ah.” The crowd audibly sang along with every word.
The rest of “The Sickness” is just banger after banger. There are some ’80s influences in the synths, some dark lyrics and plenty of not-quite-rapping from Draiman throughout the record. The live performance was pitch-perfect and energetic. Some tunes, such as “Violence Fetish,” started out with a wall of noise and utilized Draiman’s harsh brand of sing-song particularly well. Some, such as “Numb,” are more plodding and sung like rock ballads, letting Draiman show off how straight-up pleasant it is to listen to his voice, even with such rebellious and depressing words.
“Want” is a slinkier version of their typical super-speed tempo; “Conflict” is a musical journey through several movements, each showing off some of the band’s strengths; and “Shout 2000,” a well-chosen cover of the ’80s Tears for Fears classic, boomed to the rafters.
Before starting the cover, he urged the crowd to join him in “primal scream therapy.”
“Droppin’ Plates” was both the most hardcore song of the album and the most hip-hop influenced, and the energy was off the charts. After its end, the band disappeared as light and sound effects portrayed a rainstorm onstage. A few minutes later, Draiman returned to the stage in a bright orange jumpsuit and played out a scene where he was an inmate being sent to the electric chair. His crimes? Such nefarious deeds as “sowing disbelief in the narrative” and “attempting to unify the masses.”
After the fake electrocution failed, Draiman jumped atop the electric chair, adorned with fake blood, to wrap up the album play-through with “Meaning of Life.”
Featured Local Businesses
After an intermission, the band stormed back with a second set of songs from throughout their discography. Draiman was dressed in a black leather jacket and got the crowd’s fists pumping again with “I Will Not Break” and “Ten Thousand Fists.”
The chanting “Bad Man” heralded the arrival of a massive figure, the band’s mascot “The Guy.” The shadowy figure’s mischievous jack ‘o lantern grin glowed orange between pillars of fire as Draiman shed his jacket.
Next up was another cover, Genesis’s “Land of Confusion.” I have long believed that bands can be measured by how well they choose and perform covers, and Disturbed are experts at it. All of their covers stay true to the original while adding their own twist and flare.
That’s especially true of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence,” which Draiman performed while accompanied by a guitar, a timpani, strings and an on-fire piano. This is pretty much the perfect cover, adding chills-inducing depth to the original while keeping its melancholy tone.
Before “The Light,” Draiman brought a 12-year-old girl and her mother up onto the stage from the audience, gesturing happily at this next generation of rock and roll fandom. “I love that people feel comfortable enough to bring their children to a Disturbed concert,” Draiman said in his surprisingly gentle voice. “What’s the worst that a little one is going to experience here, a little profanity?”
“It gives me hope that rock and roll will never, ever, ever die,” he said.
He even defended Taylor Swift against loud booing from the crowd. “There’s so many pop artists that are amazing, I don’t diss anyone. Back when I was a young fool, out of insecurity, I used to diss people, but that’s what we do when we’re young. And then we get older and we learn what it is to be an adult and respect all kinds of art and all kinds of people.”
The band ended the night with “Inside the Fire,” which featured an insane number of jets, columns and chevrons of fire decorating the stage, an incendiary guitar solo that reached a smoking crescendo and Draiman’s triumphant roars.
As the frontman said himself, rock ‘n’ roll is alive and well, and it will never die — at least, the post-show adrenaline rush will make you believe it.