The Frost Bank Center has had its share of scents, atmospheres and one-of-a-kind moments over the years even when it was known under different names. There’s the annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, where animals fill the air with their own brand of aura. There was the time Hall of Fame guard Manu Ginobili caught a bat (the winged kind, not the baseball kind) out of the air during a Spurs game.
Last Friday night, a different type of feeling permeated the air: The Sickness. And it was swept up by approximately 15,000 dedicated fans of Disturbed.
The Chicago band, which includes one-time Austin resident and vocalist David Draiman and Austin native and bassist John Moyer, celebrated 25 years of their landmark 2000 debut album by playing it in its entirety with special guests Daughtry and San Antonio’s own Nothing More.
There was no fanfare for The Sickness coming to life live. Rather, the stage curtain illuminated many early images of the band (see 65-photo gallery) before slowly rising, allowing the Frost Bank Center to see its first in-the-flesh images of Moyer, guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer Mike Wengren.
Draiman was wheeled out a la fictional serial killer and forensic psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter, wrapped in a white straitjacket and covered in a black mask. He was assisted onto the stage, set free from the jacket and promptly delved into opening track “Voices,” setting the stage for a talk-free 12-song in-album-order rendition of one of the best rock records to come out of the first part of this century.
That meant that the group’s most revered tune, “Down With the Sickness” was performed as it is on the album — fourth — rather than a final encore. It also signified that some tracks that rarely, or ever, get played live saw the light of night such as “Violence Fetish” and mandatory neckbreaker “Droppin’ Plates.”
For album finale “Meaning of Life,” the band changed into orange prison jumpsuits, and Draiman was “electrocuted,” his forehead spewing fake blood as the crowd went animalistic.
Following a 20-minute intermission, Disturbed took to some of its greatest hits. Having already performed its cover of Tears For Fears’ “Shout” from the first album, the group launched into Genesis’ “Land of Confusion” before rolling out a piano that was set ablaze and played by Donegan during Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.” Draiman sang that one at the front of the runway portion of the stage that jetted out into the crowd, while Wengren pounded a pair of Taiko drums and Moyer stayed behind on the main portion of the stage accompanied by female orchestra members.
Disturbed spared no expense of pyro at the Frost Bank Center, particularly during 2022 and latest album Divisive track “Bad Man” — when the album cover and group mascot came to life in a larger-than-life inflatable — and show finale “Inside the Fire.”
After taking a bow, the stage curtain read “Disturbed Celebrating 25 Years of ‘The Sickness.’ Thank You San Antonio!!”
Chris Daughtry, incredibly, has been on the rock music scene for 19 years since finishing fourth on “American Idol,” only to branch out into stardom status despite not winning his season of the program.
Setting the stage for Disturbed, the well-rounded vocalist who has done everything from brilliantly acoustically covering Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” to collaborating with Sevendust on rejuvenating track “The Past” spotlighted several of his albums during an 11-song set.
Tracks such as “World on Fire” and “Heavy Is the Crown” meshed with his “American Idol” days cover of Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” and self-titled debut album hits “It’s Not Over” and “Home.” Daughtry did the latter alone and acoustically, telling the audience: “If I hadn’t written this next song, there’s a good chance I wouldn’t be standing in front of you right now, San Antonio.”
Over the years of playing their hometown shows, the men of Nothing More have often shared with Alamo True Metal that performing in their city brings its share of challenges and pressures unlike other shows. Vocalist Jonny Hawkins has been one of those to state such sentiments.
On this night, Nothing More undoubtedly felt that pressure multiplied — because Hawkins wasn’t even present.
A mere 24 hours before the show, Hawkins had to bow out due to doctors’ orders after it was discovered he was bleeding from his vocal cords. In stepped Atreyu vocalist Brandon Saller on, yes, a mere single day’s notice to learn the tunes the group would be playing in its opening 30-minute set.
The band’s 2024 album Carnal includes separate tracks with guest appearances by Daughtry and Draiman, making this tour trio a match made in fiery Rock N’ Roll heaven.
Guitarist Mark Vollelunga allowed the band and crowd to get warmed up with a pair of new tunes before introducing Saller as the “saving-the-day” vocalist, to which those who were actually watching the group and not hanging out in the lobby, late to the party or in the concessions line applauded vociferously for Saller’s timely rescue and Nothing More’s latest hometown appearance.
But as brief as it was, Nothing More couldn’t leave the stage without performing “Jenny” and “This Is the Time (Ballast)” as Vollelunga, bassist Daniel Oliver and drummer Ben Anderson got through a show they’re not likely to forget anytime soon unscathed.
DISTURBED SETLIST: Voices, The Game, Stupify, Down With the Sickness, Violence Fetish, Fear, Numb, Want, Conflict, Shout (Tears For Fears cover), Droppin’ Plates, Meaning of Life; (20-minute intermission); I Will Not Break, Ten Thousand Fists, Bad Man, Land of Confusion (Genesis cover), Indestructible, The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel cover), The Light, Inside the Fire
