Concert Reviews

Disturbed played its biggest hit as the fourth song of its show, but it still powered through the two-plus-hour long concert.

As it headed into the home stretch of Friday’s gig at TD Garden, Disturbed singer David Draiman admitted that most of his band’s songs dwelled largely on dark subject matter.

“But darkness isn’t always the worst thing,” Draiman told the crowd. “Sometimes darkness can show you the light.”

Playing in front of a packed house, the Chicago-based quartet did an effective job of lighting things up, delivering a potent slice of power and precision to the heavy metal masses. The 130-minute set covered plenty of ground but focused mainly on the 25^th anniversary of the band’s debut album “The Sickness,” which to date has sold over five million copies. To celebrate the occasion, Disturbed performed the album in its entirety in sequence in the show’s first half, much to the delight of the crowd.

Wheeled onto the stage Hannibal Lecter-style, draped in a straitjacket and face mask, Draiman was unleashed to the audience. Dressed in a black department of corrections jumpsuit, the frontman was quickly embraced by the crowd as they delved into the musical madness.

From the opening riffs of set opener “Voices” and electric pulsations of “The Game,” to the glorious mosh pit stomp of “Stupify,” the quartet were firing on all cylinders.  But it wasn’t until drummer Mike Wengren fired up the tribal beat intro leading to “Down With the Sickness,” followed by Draiman’s signature catcall, that the crowd was truly infected.

For any band, playing arguably its biggest hit as the fourth song of a two-hour show could be the beginning of the end. But Disturbed managed to power its way through, with its loyal fanbase following it every step of the way.

Performing on a stage backdrop comprised of heavy metal scaffolding and lights, guitarist Dan Donegan enhanced the mayhem with a mechanical grind. He provided an added crunch to cuts like “Violence Fetish” and “Fear.” Bassist John Moyer held a steady groove on tracks such as “Want,” while teaming up with Wengren to fuel the frenetic backbeat rhythm of “Conflict.”

Meanwhile, Draiman kept the crowd engaged with his sinister snarl and menacing laugh. He led the crowd in a metalized sing-along of the Tears for Fears cover “Shout.” Even album filler tunes like “Droppin’ Plates” registered a decent pop from the audience.

Theatrics took center stage during the epic “Meaning of Life.” Draiman was strapped to an electric chair and shocked. But the volts only appeared to charge the singer up, while simultaneously energizing the audience.

A 20-minute intermission between sets could have easily killed momentum. But the capacity crowd surprisingly didn’t dissipate and were ultimately rewarded with an eight-song greatest hits encore.

From the fist-pumping thump of “Ten Thousand Fists,” to the proud proclamation of the anthemic “I Will Not Break,” the band showed no signs of slowing down. They were bolstered by the presence of “The Guy,” their cloaked Iron Maiden-ish mascot looming large behind the drum riser.  

Disturbed threw in a few more curveball cover tunes for good measure. This included the manic purge of Genesis’ “Land of Confusion,” to the softer side of Simon & Garfunkel’s standard “The Sound of Silence,” complimented with a string quartet, and Donegan playing a fire-breathing piano.

The band capped the night with a roaring one-two punch. “The Light” was bolstered by the audience holding their cellphones for added ambiance. An array of pyrotechnics sparked the aptly named “Inside the Fire,” which brightened up the arena.

“Sometimes you need the right injection in your soul to give you the strength that you need to carry on,” said Draiman. “Am I right?”

Canadian rockers Three Days Grace warmed up the crowd with an energetic hour-long set. Dual vocalists Adam Gotier and Matt Waist traded barbs on the infectious opener “Animal I Have Become,” and “So Called Life,” while also getting the crowd involved with the catchy hooks of “I Hate Everything About You.”

Setlist for Disturbed at TD Garden, March 14, 2025

• Voices
• The Game
• Stupify
• Down With the Sickness
• Violence Fetish
• Fear
• Numb
• Want
• Conflict
• Shout (Tears for Fears cover)
• Droppin’ Plates
• Meaning of Life
• Ten Thousand Fists
• I Will Not Break
• Bad Man
• Land of Confusion (Genesis cover)
• Indestructible
• The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
• The Light
• Inside the Fire

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