Article and Photos: Linda Carlson

Cincinnati, OH – Who says rock has a waning appeal?  Try telling that to the near-capacity crowd at Riverbend Music Center, with more than 16,000 fans in attendance for an evening with co-headliners Breaking Benjamin and Staind on their Awaken The Fallen Tour.

The evening started with Lakeview, a “blue-collar county” band originally from Pittsburgh (now based in Nashville), the brain child of Jesse Denaro and Luke Healy, both with a history in metalcore that infiltrates their music.  Together, they create an unconventional sound that mashes country with rock and metal.  Not something you see every day, for sure, but certainly a way to entice Americana into the metal fold.

Lakeview

Next, Wage War put on a one-hour set, which is generous for an opener.  The band has been touring extensively, and their performance was first rate.  It’s not ideal for a heavy metal band to perform in daylight – darkness enhances the moodiness – but the band nonetheless brought forth the grittiness of the genre, with Briton Bond (lead vocals), Seth Blake (lead guitar), Cody Quistad (rhythm guitar), Chris Gaylord (bass), and Stephen Kluesener (drums).

Wage War

On this night, co-headliner Staind performed next, with a 75-minute set, with Aaron Lewis (lead vocals), Mike Mushok (lead guitar), Johnny April (bass), and Sal Giancarelli (drums).

Lewis apologized for not running around the stage as part of the entertainment, but at 53 years old, he said he would stand there and “do my thing.”

Lewis was completely at ease on stage.  With a lit cigarette in hand (or dangling from the corner of this mouth) throughout the set, he shared story after story about nearly every song.  For example, to promote the single “Fade,” released in 2001, the band had invested heavily in a music video depicting a clock tower crumbling around the band as they performed.  According to Lewis, the video’s imagery was deemed inappropriate after the 9/11 attack, and the video experienced restricted air time.

Staind

Lewis quipped that for “Wannabe,” he “for some reason” thought he could rap.  For “Outside,” a fan favorite, Lewis shouted to the audience to break out the cell phones and light up the venue.  Fans sang the last chorus solo.  They were totally into it!

“Better Days,” according to Lewis, was written to the band’s former drummer (Jon Wysoki), who left the band under rather unfortunate circumstances.  The song was brutally shouted, an apparent release of pain and anger.

Staind

The set was full of expertly mixed soulful acoustics (“Epiphany,” “Something to Remind You”) and wild, aggressive rock.

1. Lowest in Me
2. Eyes Wide Open
3. Fade
4. Right Here
5. Not Again
6. Epiphany
7. Something to Remind You
8. Wannabe
9. Outside
10. Better Days
11. Paper Wings
12. So Far Away
13. For You
14. It’s Been Awhile
15. Mudshovel

Lewis gave a nod to his longstanding relationship with Breaking Benjamin, indicating that Staind took them out on their first tour many years ago.

Needless to say, the crowd was fully stoked for Breaking Benjamin, whose 75-minute performance was sprinkled with surprises.  The band, founded in 1999, has had a consistent lineup since 2014 with founding member Benjamin Burnley (vocals, rhythm guitar), Jasen Rauch (lead guitar), Keith Wallen (rhythm guitar), Aaron Bruch (bass), and Shaun Foist (drums).

Breaking Benjamin

On this night, a band member “in training” joined on the stage.  Benjamin Burnley’s young son, Ben, shared center stage on guitar (and backing vocals) with his father.  Donning a baseball cap like his dad, he made a charming addition to the band, at times jamming with Bruch and others.

Breaking Benjamin

The set was full of old favorites and some new additions.  Burnley thanked the crowd, and jokingly said that if they ever wanted him to stop, let him know because, you know, his back hurts, his neck hurts – if you want him to rock, he said, gotta take his back pill!

As a surprise to the crowd, Lacey Sturm, quite elegant in a flowing black dress, joined on stage to sing a “Dear Agony” duet with Burnley.

The show was accompanied by high octane staccato stage lighting and jets of smoke.  An elevated platform at the rear of the stage featured Foist in the center, but band members periodically climbed the side steps to join him on the upper catwalk.

Breaking Benjamin

The crowd was treated to a terrific set:

1. Failure
2. Until the End
3. Evil Angel
4. Red Cold River
5. Blow Me Away
6. Follow
7. So Cold
8. Dance With the Devil
9. Awaken
10. Breath
11. Polyamorous
12. Without You
13. Dear Agony (with Lacey Sturm)
14. Blood
15. I Will Not Bow
16. The Diary of Jane

The tour ends early June, but each band continues to tour.  Check the band websites for a show near you, and the carousel of images below for more photos of the night’s performances.

Wage War

Staind

Lakeview

Lakeview

Wage War

Breaking Benjamin

Wage War

Breaking Benjamin

Staind

Staind

Breaking Benjamin

Staind

Breaking Benjamin

Breaking Benjamin

Breaking Benjamin

Wage War

Staind

Lakeview

Breaking Benjamin

Breaking Benjamin

Wage War

Wage War

Staind

Lakeview

Lakeview

Breaking Benjamin

Breaking Benjamin

Staind