Breaking Benjamin & Nothing More Concert Review 10/30/2015 Maverick Center, Part 1 (Finished November 2nd, 2015)

Hello,

This is part 1 of a two blog series on the Shinedown/Breaking Benjamin/Nothing More concert on October 30th, 2015. First a caveat, unlike Def Leppard, whose songs I've probably heard a couple of hundred times, I'm not quite as familiar with the music of these three bands. I like several songs by Breaking Benjamin, but don't know them as well. Part of the fun of a concert is singing along with the songs. What I'm saying is my grade would be higher if I'd known their songs better.

Thanks to a very inefficient non-secure security procedure it took several minutes to get into the Maverick Center. One would have thought that the Maverick Center would no how to get people into a concert efficiently now. I guess not.

That meant that we missed half of Nothing More's set. I'm one of those that actually like to see all the bands that play. One never knows what bands will break out. About 2004 I got tickets to go see Van Hagar in concert. A little known at the time band opened for them, that bands name was Shinedown. I sort of followed them over the years, buying and listening to some of their music over the years. It was only this year that I really got into them with the release of their excellent CD "Threat To Survival". With some growth and maturity, Nothing More could be headlining shows in just a few years.

I like some songs by Nothing More- I love "Fat Kid" from their first CD:

Due to security, all we were able to see was the last half of Nothing More's set, sadly they didn't play "Fat Kid". We caught "Here's To The Heartache", which is also quite a good song. Nothing More described it as their "next single"- which seems so obsolete now. Are there really singles any more? Who listens to terrestial radio if they have a choice. I couldn't tell you a single off any CD from the last several years. Back in the 80s I would have known all the singles off a CD. I could still tell you most, if not all, singles off of "Thriller". I find it funny that people would still use that terminology: 

Then they played "This Is The Time (Ballast)":

Nothing More then closed with "Salem (Burn The Witch)":

Breaking Benjamin's setlist:

1)  "Failure": (Good old Benjamin likes the f bomb way too much, a word which is completely unnecessary.)

2) "Breath"

3) "Angels Fall"

After an introduction and thanks to all the soldiers that have fought for our country, the boys played 4) "Unknown Soldier"

5) "Follow"

6) "So Cold"

7) "Breaking The Silence"

8) "Stay With Me"

9) "Sooner or Later" (Keith Wallen sang lead vocals on this song)

One of the highlights of the night. 10) "Blow Me Away"

A truly nerd moment, which I so relate to, when Benjamin broke out a light saber. 11) " Imperial March" / "Schism" / "Smells Like Teen Spirit" / "Walk":

Just as a side note: when they played "Smells Like Teen Spirit", I was reminded once again how great this song was. This is truly 4 minutes of brilliance. 

One of their best songs: 12) "Polyamorous"

13)  "Give Me A Sign":

14) "Believe" (Aaron Bruch contributed vocals on this song)

15) "I Will Not Bow"

16) "Until The End"

17) "Diary of Jane":

Breaking Benjamin is currently made up of the following members:

• Benjamin Burnley – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1999–present)
• Aaron Bruch – bass, backing vocals (2014–present)
• Keith Wallen – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2014–present)
• Jasen Rauch – lead guitar, electronic strings, programming (2014–present)
• Shaun Foist – drums, electronic percussion, programming (2014–present)

It seems Breaking Benjamin has settled into pretty much the same setlist on this tour, but it's a good setlist. Breaking Benjamin played in front of a gigantic screen print of the cover of their new CD "Dark Before Dawn"- a very good CD that I highly recommend to add to your collection. About 7000 fans were in attendance for this concert.

Benjamin likes to use the f-bomb too much. I'm not sure why though, it doesn't help a concert be any better. The boys played a pretty tight about 70 minute set, no encore and little filler. The vocals were buried too much in the music some of the time. "Until The End" and "Diary of Jane" shouldn't be sung back to back as they sound like virtually the same song. For "Diary of Jane" the band invited about 25 people up on the stage. That was cool.

Benjamin likes to pump his fist, which got old after awhile. Benjamin and the other singers were in fine voice all night, the band is a tight, cohesive group.

Before the show I wasn't sure who the headliner was and I was hoping it was Shinedown. I like their songs better. However at the end of the concert I'm now liking both bands about the same. And I've been listening to "Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin" as my drive music since that concert. I guess you could say I liked them in concert.

Coming soon my review of Shinedown on that same night.

themusicaddict