Photo Credit: Steve Barrass
Staind and Breaking Benjamin embarked on their 2024 co-headlining tour on Tuesday, kicking off what is being billed as their 1st tour together in over 10 years! They are joined on this tour by Daughtry and Lakeview in select cities.
Opening up the night’s event was country-rock group Lakeview. Fronted by Jesse Denaro and Luke Healy, Lakeview brings a massive amount of energy to the tour, which came as somewhat of a surprise to many, as pulling together a heavy country band is far from an easy feat that very few have been able to do successfully. While the guys in Lakeview may not be known by many in mainstream music, it won’t be long before they become a household name to music enthusiasts across the United States. We promise you, you won’t want to skip out on the openers during this tour.
Approximately 20 minutes after Lakeview’s exit from the stage, the white curtain was raised, the seats were packed, and the anticipation was at a maximum level as the crowd waited for Breaking Benjamin to take the stage. The band immediately burst into Failure off of their 5th studio album, Dark Before Dawn, and then continued the hard-hitting punches all throughout their set. With Breaking Benjamin, as always, there was never a dull moment as they rolled through 16 fan-favorites and covering everything from Until the End to Dance With the Devil and Dear Agony to So Cold. Frontman Benjamin Burnley looked and sounded better than ever, as the crowd seemingly sang back every word to their over 1 hour and 20 minute set. We were witnessing a “fine-tuned machine” that one could have never guessed it was working on night one of a US tour with no noticeable hiccups. Breaking Benjamin wrapped up with a short speech giving thanks to the fans and diving right into their #1 hit Diary of Jane.
By this time, Star Lake Amphitheater is booming with energy and you could feel the electricity in the air, as Breaking Benjamin just played what could be argued as their best and most lively set to date. Unfortunately, it didn’t feel like that power was long lived.
As the night’s final curtain was raised, this time black with the notorious “Staind” logo shining through the upper half, the crowd was ready for the 2000s rock icons to hit the stage. It didn’t take long for the curtain to drop and reveal the a signature stage presence that only Staind fans would identify. Standing front and center was Staind frontman and rock icon Aaron Lewis, leaning into the mic stand with a lit cigarette in hand ready to start the opening line to Lowest in Me off of the band’s eighth studio album, Confessions Of The Fallen. While Aaron and the rest of the band sounded absolutely flawless, this selection to open the set with just seemed to fall flat with the crowd, at least with those in the amphitheater’s pit. While gazing around the crowd, not many seemed to know this song and it’s words, so much that some of the fans’ facial expressions came off as bored.
But all was not lost. It wasn’t long at all before the band started getting into song known more by the fans, such as Eyes Wide Open and Right Here. Staind ended night one of the tour with a 15 song set list that covered a good mixture of the band’s hits and their newer and/or lesser known tracks. The band ended the night with an encore that included 2 of their biggest hits, It’s Been A While and Mudshovel. If you’re someone who is an avid Staind fan, you left Tuesday nights show more than satisfied! If you attended as a fan of both Breaking Benjamin AND Staind, you probably would have preferred Breaking Benjamin close the night out.
Regardless, night one of such a massive tour was filled with hits, sing-a-longs, and good times. The stage shows, the vocals, and the instrumentals were nothing but flawless from the first note of the show to the final one. If you don’t have this one your list of concerts to end your summer with,you may have some regrets later on.
As always, be sure to check out out Instagram page for more photo content and full set lists from the night’s bands!