16.06.2023 Disturbed

Graspop Metal Meeting

Dessel (Belgium)

Directly after Amon Amarth came another repeat act: Disturbed, whom I had already seen at the same spot in 2019. And once again, a new album “Divisive” from last year had joined their already long list of releases. With the sun slowly setting, the four guys from Chicago, Illinois stepped in to fill the coveted early‑evening slot once more. And they absolutely delivered!
The truly charismatic frontman David Draiman entered the stage to “Hey You” from the current album, immediately captivating everyone. His bandmates Dan Donegan on guitar and John Moyer on bass once again unleashed a fireworks display of their skills, just like Mike Wengren behind the drums. Fortunately, the set wasn’t dominated solely by the new album; instead, it offered a fantastic mix of songs from all phases of their nearly 30‑year career. With “Stupify” and “Ten Thousand Fists”, things really kicked into gear, and far more than ten thousand fists could be seen in the air. The heat even got to Draiman, who tossed aside his black coat to continue in much lighter clothing. It was genuinely impressive that the show wasn’t built solely around Draiman, but also Donegan and Moyer repeatedly stepped into the spotlight to fire up the crowd even further. Not that it was necessary in those temperatures as everyone was already fully engaged.
Mid‑set, things became more intimate as barstools were placed on stage. “A Reason To Fight” from the 2018 album “Evolution” already created a goosebump atmosphere, but what followed was something I had never experienced before. Draiman stepped to the front edge of the stage and began speaking about how, in recent years, many of his friends and colleagues such as Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, and Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots had taken their own lives. Then, through tears, he revealed that only a few months earlier, he had nearly followed them during a period marked by depression and addiction. He explained that these two demons are everywhere, though not always visible. They can take hold of anyone, even people you would never expect. He asked everyone who had struggled with these issues themselves, or knew someone who had, to raise their hand and it was truly overwhelming how many hands went up. His most important message: You are not alone! And it is important to seek help. Not only Draiman, but many in the audience had tears in their eyes.
After so much emotion, it wasn’t easy to continue the set, but with covers like “Land Of Confusion” by Genesis and their commercially most successful hit “The Sound Of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel, they quickly found their way back. The crowning finale was, of course, the song that made them truly famous: “Down With The Sickness” from their 2000 debut “The Sickness”. Everyone threw their remaining energy into the moment, and the impressive performance ended under thunderous applause.
They had already been extremely impressive in 2019, but this time they surpassed that performance by far. Hit after hit left barely any room to breathe, and it wasn’t even noticeable that Draiman was struggling with vocal issues that would make it impossible for him to perform during the following four days. The rest of the band delivered a phenomenal performance as well. Truly hats off, especially for Draiman’s incredibly emotional and honest speech, which brought tears to my eyes as well. There are several videos of it on YouTube, and they are absolutely worth watching. A performance that will stay with me forever.