It was big monster energy vibes and chin beards abound for the one and only Australian sideshow from Disturbed at the vanguard of their Knotfest appearances this coming weekend. The universally adored and Grammy nominated veteran metal giants, whom are probably best known for those heavy motivational bangers featured on your weights training playlist, filled out the AEC arena surprisingly well. Fans young and old populated every corner of the venue from the stalls to the floor, pumped and ready to party while the spectacular production quality delivered the grandiose entertainment one would expect from the likes of an act such a Disturbed.
Along for the Adelaide stop over was US hardcore outfit Wage War, who warmed up the crowd victoriously and showcased their flavour of melodic ‘core that suited the energy of the night perfectly. Firing out impelling and heart stirring belters such as Low, Teeth and 2021 releases Circle The Drain and Manic to close, Wage War offered a modern sound to the mix with thunderous breakdowns and scream vocals blended with a similar flair of big power riffs and dramatic melodies to their headlining predecessors.
At the exact strike of eight-thirty the crowd started cheering and carrying on for the main event to start, and as expected, Disturbed came out in performative fashion to the loud vivacious opening beats of iconic banger Down With The Sickness, which of course prompted a mass rising of phones capturing the moment and fervency from the hyped crowd. David Draiman emerged from the darkness and bust out into Hey You from latest album offering ‘Divisive’, a track that places Disturbed firmly back into their own unique style of heavy hitting dad-rock industrial prog metal.
Draiman cruises the stage with casual swagger in his gangster-looking leather trench coat and his iconic rough but operatic voice and rapid percussive vocal style just effortlessly falling out of him. It suddenly becomes apparent that this man’s vocal performance is the star attraction, and he practically bleeds it while also maintaining a staunch and affluent cool. The big dick energy is amplifying rapidly, everyone is singing, dancing and clapping along, and I’m getting a bit starstruck about the whole thing.
1000 Fists takes the crowd full send when Draiman demands to “see those f**king fists in the air!” and 1000 turns to 10,000 fists, united in the conviction of the potent lyrics and heavy canorous rhythm. Further hysteria erupts for the inevitable performance of Indestructible and while we are here being fiercely motivated and feeling unfuckwithable because that’s what Disturbed tracks do, some wholesome motivational pep talks from the man of the hour reaches out and touches our hearts. A special guest is invited to the stage from the meet and greet, a die-hard fan that pulled through a liver transplant fuelled by the fire of Disturbed’s music, and he bravely tells the whole arena of how he overcame his struggles before hugging Draiman and giving everyone the big warm fuzz.
My personal favourite wholesome treat of the night is South Australian blues vocalist Holly Hastings who was handpicked to join Draiman onstage and perform heartfelt duet Don’t Tell Me, originally recorded by Ann Wilson of Heart. While the opportunity to perform with someone as illustrious as David Draiman in an arena show would have been a daunting one, Hastings nails it and throws out a confident and powerful rock n roll rawness while still maintaining the grace and purity of a sweet folk singer. It was a perfect match, Hastings owning the part and exceeding Wilson’s version flawlessly.
“You’re not tired, are you?” teases Draiman as the band come back on stage for encore, a golden trio featuring recent blazing track Unstoppable followed by the anticipated and obligatory “Oh-ah-ah-ah-ah” of DWTS and closing out in a frenzy with Inside The Fire. “We are Disturbed!” yells Draiman to an uproarious crowd. Fans were not disappointed with this sideshow offering, and it was everything I had expected it to be. While the sound production was extremely embellished, as it can be for such enormous sounding tracks, the performance was euphoric and entertaining with its theatrical stage production, banging tracks and glorious power ballads spanning a 30-year catalogue, and all carried by one of the most recognisable voices in modern metal. Disturbed are still pulling the big crowds and were welcomed to their Australian leg of festival shows by a hoard of Adelaide fans whose fiery devotion remains inextinguishable.
Photos by Rock Tsar Photography
With thanks to Dallas Does PR for the media access.
