Friday night, heavy metal band Disturbed made a stop at the Target Center in Minneapolis with Three Days Grace as a part of their 2019 Evolution World Tour. The hype for this show was real, as it’s been nine years since the band last played in Minneapolis. Due to this long, suspenseful wait, it’s no surprise Minnesota metal heads were ready to rock. Many fans braved the cold and eagerly lined up outside at Target Center before the doors opened, while others more strategically beat the cold by partaking in 93X’s Disturbed pre-party at City Works.
When I walked in the building, I felt absolutely stoked to be back in the Target Center. The last time I was at this venue, I was seeing my favorite heavy metal band, Metallica play. So it’s safe to say I was definitely ready to get another fix of heavy music at another arena metal show.
Opening for Disturbed were fellow hard-rock heavyweights Three Days Grace. Three Days Grace originally formed in 1997 in Toronto, Ontario, and are best known for their songs, “Riot”, “Animal I Have Become”, “I Hate Everything About You”. However, during the In 2013, the band went through a major shakeup in the lineup as original singer Adam Gontier left the band and was replaced by former My Darkest Days vocalist Matt Walst.
I was always a fan of Gontier’s voice and songwriting, however, I have never seen Three Days Grace live so I went into the show with a completely open mind. The lights went dim and the band opened up with one of their newer songs, “The Mountain.” Right after the opener, they then went into some of their old, familiar classics which the crowd absolutely went nuts for.
I was instantly captivated by 3DG. They were incredibly heavy, tight and entertaining. Being an older fan, I was really happy to hear some of the old songs mixed in with the new material the band has been working on with Walst. The sound was good, and I was impressed with Walst’s stage presence and vocal ability. Walst was a great frontman, running all over the stage and garnering maximum crowd participation. His screams were perfect, and the rest of the band didn’t miss a beat. I’m looking forward to hopefully catching these guys again with the same lineup.
I was anticipating their show at the Target Center to be one of the biggest and most explosive Disturbed shows yet. Right off the bat, the band went into “Are You Ready?” with tons of energy and noise. This set the bar for the rest of the night and had fans headbaging and throwing their fists in the air. Their set was accompanied by plenty of lights, pyrotechnics and entertainment.
Vocalist David Draiman was right in his own wheelhouse, ranging between growling and singing. One of his most impressive vocal deliveries of the night was during “The Sound of Silence”, where I could feel the raw emotion and range of his voice echoing through the building. Disturbed’s packed setlist featured plenty of new songs as well as older fan favorites. Their new songs landed with as much of a punch as their classics.
In the middle of their set, I thought to myself, “This may end up being one of my favorite shows of 2019.” Everything around me faded and I was sucked into the show. Surprisingly though, their show wasn’t all heavy metal and fist banging. There were plenty of slow and emotional songs, with Draiman preaching the importance of community, belonging, and having your fellow man’s back in times of hardship, addiction and depression. This show reminded me how much the rock and metal community cares about the people within it.
Ultimately, the nine year wait to see this band again was worth it. They were just as good as the last time I saw them back in 2011. With perfected showmanship and power, last night’s show at the Target Center proved that Disturbed are INDESTRUCTIBLE.
