The huge lines to get into Challenge Stadium turned out to be due to slow and rigorous security checks, including a no-wallet-chain policy which sent many punters scrambling to their cars or the cloakroom. Consequently the crowd inside watching Australian hardcore punks Behind Crimson Eyes was not as large as it could have been.
Despite having an unfortunate emo name, Behind Crimson Eyes’ live sound is full of good Aussie rock sensibilities and the subdued audience started to warm when frontman Josh Stuart got them singing along for The Bonesmen. The openers played several songs from their forthcoming album, with the bulk of the set drawn from their 2006 Roadrunner debut, A Revelation For Despair finishing off with Shakedown.
The strains of AC/DC classic For Those About to Rock heralded the arrival of Alter Bridge on stage. Ripping into Come to Life from current release Blackbird they were an instant hit with the rapidly filling stadium.
Formed by three members of Creed who no longer wanted to work with the obnoxious Scott Stapp, Alter Bridge have released two albums, although notably, only one song from 2004’s One Day Remains made it into the set list. While less commercially successful than Creed, Alter Bridge has more musical integrity and the peculiar talent of making big stadium power ballads seem not as cheesy as they otherwise might. At any rate the crowd was buying right into it, with solo work by guitarist Mark Tremonti especially appreciated. After thanking Perth for the warm reception on the band’s first ever show in Australia, the set ended with Rise Today.
By the time the stage was cleared for the headline act, the venue had filled to what must have been very close to capacity. Sporadic bouts of chanting and stomping broke out as anticipation built, and was finally released when Disturbed frontman David Draiman was wheeled out on a trolley with face mask and straightjacket, Hannibal Lector-style, launching appropriately into Please Let Me Out once detached.
Draiman looked rather like he was channelling Angry Anderson – a short, stocky bald due wearing a boilersuit (albeit black overalls rather than Angry’s signature white) and addressing the crowd as his “brothers and sisters”, although that’s where the similarities ended. With an all-wireless rig and the drum kit pushed way back, the stage was empty save for the band members themselves, who made good, if rather tightly choreographed, use of the space.
Although Disturbed have been to Australia, this was their first outing to Perth, a fact noted by Draiman before starting on Just Stop. The big hits from their four albums were aired – Prayer, 10000 Fists, Indestructible – although it was the older material from 2000’s The Sickness – Voices, Stupified – that really got a big response.
After leaving the stage for the first time, the crowd quite literally rattled the rafters to get them back for the encore. Inside The Fire – the first single from the new album – was up first, followed by Stricken, and then finally the song everyone had been waiting for, Down With The Sickness. 6000 people sang along – and 6000 people begging mommy not to hit them again was certainly a sight to behold. With a final chant of “we are disturbed” they were gone – not before promising to come back again soon.
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