Electrifying Night: Disturbed Rocks Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee

Gabriella
Mar 7, 2025
4 min read

American heavy metal band, Disturbed, who formed in 1994 in Chicago, Illinois, rocked Milwaukee last Tuesday with two insane sets. The band, consisting of guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren, lead vocalist David Draiman and bassist John Moyer, is known for their aggressive sound and powerful lyrics. Disturbed's music blends elements of heavy metal, hard rock, and alternative metal, characterized by Draiman's distinctive vocal delivery and the band's tight, rhythmic instrumentation.

Their debut album, "The Sickness" (2000), pushed them to fame with hits like "Down with the Sickness" and "Stupify." Over the years, Disturbed has released several successful albums, including "Believe" (2002), "Ten Thousand Fists" (2005), and "Immortalized" (2015), which featured their popular cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence." Known for their energetic live performances and thought-provoking themes, Disturbed continues to be a dominant force in the metal genre.

Disturbed had two openers for their show on Tuesday...

Sevendust, an American rock band from Atlanta consisting of Lajon Witherspoon (vocals), Clint Lowery (lead guitar, backing vocals), John Connolly (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Vince Hornsby (bass), and Morgan Rose (drums, backing vocals). Sevendust is known for their heavy, aggressive sound that blends elements of alternative metal, nu-metal, and hard rock. They have released several albums, including "Home," "Animosity," and "Black Out the Sun,"

Three Days Grace, a Canadian rock band from Ontario, includes Matt Walst (lead vocals), Barry Stock (lead guitar), Brad Walst (bass), and Neil Sanderson (drums, backing vocals). They initially gained fame with their self-titled debut album, which featured hits like "I Hate Everything About You" and "Just Like You." Their music explores themes of struggle, and emotional turmoil, and they are known for their powerful, rock sound. Some of their other popular albums include "One-X," "Life Starts Now," and "Outsider."

After a strong set from both bands, Disturbed hit the stage at around 8:40. Although fans had to wait over two hours for Disturbed, they seemed thrilled with the openers and allowed the long show to hold a lot more energy than I would expect from a nearly five hour show from start to finish. Disturbed split their show into two acts, "The Sickness" and then the "Greatest Hits." Which guitarist Dan Donegan described as, "It's our biggest album and our big debut, so we want to honor it from start to finish, playing some of these songs we haven't played in a long time, and then have a second set of things we did after that."

The Setlist goes as follows...

The Sickness

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

Greatest Hits

Ten Thousand Fists
I Will Not Break
Bad Man
Land of Confusion (Genesis cover)
Indestructible
The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
The Light
Inside the Fire

The show itself was one which mixed hard metal and theatrics, starting with lead vocalist David Draiman being wheeled out in a straitjacket and a "Hannibal Lecter" looking... muzzle? After exiting that contraption, the band (nearly literally with the fireworks they were putting out.), exploded into the song, "Voices." Fans were screaming the lyrics, mosh pits were forming, and the energy was long-lasting. The band, who are known for their theatrics, of course the band had to change into prison uniforms and perform a fake execution of David Draiman in the electric chair, with fireworks and fake blood to go along. The mix of theatrics, hard metal, and than a more emotional portion with the iconic rendition of "The Sound of Silence," made the concert something that can't be missed for metalheads.