Greenville, SC (5/13/22) – What better way to spend a Friday the 13th than dodging thunderstorms and a rock concert. As the clouds parted ways fans would fill in to the CCNB Amphitheater in Simpsonville, SC. Tonight’s show features headliners Breaking Benjamin along with guests Seether, Starset and Lacey Sturm.
With a short but powerful acoustic set Lacey and husband Josh commanded the audiences attention. They say dynamite comes in small packages and Lacey proves that belting out songs with a passion. Opening with “Impossible” the set would also include older Flyleaf songs “Fully Alive” and “All Around Me”. A special moment that can only be experienced live was the addition of Zuzana (cello) and Siobhan (violin) of Starset who would join Lacey on stage adding for a version of “Awaken Love.” Before closing the set Sturm informed the crowd of work on an upcoming album and the release of new music.
Dressed in futuristic space attire Starset would be next to take the stage. “Carnivore,” “Monster” and “Infected” filled the set with high energy. Fronted by lead singer Dustin Bates the band would deliver a hard hitting set with multiple music layers as well as visual aesthetics. Ron DeChant (Bass), Brock Richards (Guitar) and Adam Gilbert (Drums) have the foundation of music that would be layered with electronica and depth given by Zuzana and Siobhan providing string elements. Known for their themed album style Starset present a bit of a different style rock show than most and it’s a must see. “My Demons” closed the bands 30min set leaving fans wanting more.
Seether would add a bit of “Gasoline” to the nights show. Front man Shaun Morgan’s distinct vocals resonated through the amphitheater. Bassist Dale Stewart and guitarist Corey Lowery completed the front line but many fans immediately noticed a change in drummers. Shaun Foist of Breaking Benjamin would be pull double duties for the evening as John Humphrey would take the night off to attend his kid’s graduation. Band favorites such as “Country Song” and “Fake It” had the crowd pumping fists in the air. Stripping things down for a moment Dale would take to an acoustic guitar center stage as him and Morgan would give an acoustic performance of “Broken.” With only an hour to play Shaun noted their decision to cut one of their own songs in favor of Lacey Sturm returning to the stage for a full band version of her Flyleaf song “I’m So Sick.” With a musical journey through many of the bands albums and two guests appearances it seems Seether found the perfect “Remedy” for a stormy evening.
Breaking Benjamin is just one of those bands that continue to “Blow Me Away.” This band never fails to give a great performance. Ben Burnley’s vocals are always on point from the soft singing moments in songs like “Rain,” that would be tonight’s encore, to the intense screaming in songs such as “Until The End.” Keith Wallen and Jasen Rauch give those powerful, chunky guitar riffs as drummer Shaun Foist and bassist Aaron Bruch provide the driving backbone of the band. The set list covered songs from most of the bands albums but noticeably excluded anything from the 2018 “Ember” album. However, this did not take away from the show at all as songs like “Polyamorous” took us back to the beginning of the band. “So Cold,” “Dance With The Devil” and “Give Me A Sign” would be others that filled a night of hits from the band. The current tour ends on May 21st in Savannah, GA but you can find Breaking Benjamin out in the road again this summer starting in August with Alice In Chains and Bush.
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Copyright Michael Bragg/MJBragg Photography
