The lineup for Breaking Benjamin’s current spring 2022 tour was nothing short of incredible. With a stacked list of opening bands including Lacey Sturm, Starset, and Seether, Breaking Benjamin put on the show of the season filled with fun surprises around each corner. The sold out show at the Santander Arena in Reading, PA was easily one of the best concerts I’ve been to, and a refreshing experience in a post-Covid environment.
Lacey Sturm
The night began with a short yet powerful set from rock-legend Lacey Sturm. Lacey, best known from the Christian rock band Flyleaf and often regarded as one of the most iconic women in modern rock, took the stage with her husband Josh to perform a five song acoustic set.
Josh first appeared on stage, guitar in hand, and Lacey soon followed. Lacey opened with “Impossible”, the lead single off of her 2016 solo album Life Screams. Though just a duo, Lacey and Josh’s harmonies were able to fill the 7,000 seat arena as if they were a full band ensemble. Lacey’s powerful screams amidst breathtaking lyrics and intricate melodies were the perfect way to begin the night. Lacey also performed a cover of “Roxanne” by the Police, a fan favorite that was also included on her solo album, and is one of my personal favorite covers of all time. She concluded her set with the classic “All Around Me”, a song off of Flyleaf’s first album.
Setlist:
- Impossible
- Rot
- Roxanne (The Police cover)
- Run to You
- All Around Me
Starset
Starset completely changed the cinematic rock scene with their debut album Transmissions in 2014 and have continued to deliver epic, and, no pun intended, otherworldly musical projects. With an aesthetic so unique and fresh, Starset proves that concept bands are still alive and thriving. All of their music revolves around space, science, and a not-so-distant dystopian future. Each album feels like a movie score with their strong, layered, and orchestral elements. The band consists of Dustin Bates on vocals, Brock Richards on guitar, Ron DeChant on bass, Adam Gilbert on drums, keyboardist Cory Juba, Siobhan Cronin on violin, and Zuzana Engererova on cello.
The seven-piece band opened with a tape intro of the outerlude of their song “Diving Bell” from their Divisions album, a haunting and somewhat jarring piece of music. The intro swiftly shifted into one of their most popular songs, Carnivore, from their aforementioned Transmissions record. With LED screens lining the back wall of the venue and a glowing star in the center of the stage, Starset delivered a fun, immersive, and energetic performance. The show climaxed with the first single “Infected” off of their latest record Horizons. Front man Dustin Bates is always a delight to see on stage, his powerful vocals and charming personality draws in the audience and only adds to the immersive experience of a Starset “demonstration”. The band ended with their biggest hit “My Demons” from Transmissions.
Setlist:
- Carnivore
- TRIALS
- MANIFEST
- Monster
- INFECTED
- DEVOLUTION
- My Demons
Seether
The hard rock veterans Seether took the stage just before Breaking Benjamin. Seether has been a staple in the rock world for nearly two decades. Their crisp sound and driving melodies allow for listeners to become entranced by their live performances. The band consists of Shaun Morgan on vocals, Dale Stewart on bass, John Humphrey on drums, and Corey Lowery on guitar.
Seether opened with “Gasoline” off of their debut album Disclaimer from 2004 and went right into “Fine Again” from the same record. The third song in was a surprising change of pace, as the hard hitting rock tunes were temporarily replaced with the power ballad “Broken” from the follow up of Disclaimer, Disclaimer II.
One of the highlights of their set was the surprise return of Lacey Sturm to the stage. She performed a full-band version of the Flyleaf song “I’m So Sick”. The crowd did not expect this collaboration, though it was welcomed with open arms. It was definitely a highlight of the night. Seether closed out their set with the song “Remedy” from their third studio album Karma and Effect.
Setlist:
- Gasoline
- Fine Again
- Broken
- Country Song
- Nobody Praying for Me
- Rise Above This
- Bruised and Bloodied
- Wasteland
- I’m So Sick (Flyleaf cover) (with Lacey Sturm)
- Let You Down
- Dangerous
- Fake It
- Remedy
Breaking Benjamin
By 9:30pm the sold out arena was anxious for the multi-platinum selling headliner to take the stage. Breaking Benjamin has an incredibly loyal fanbase, within most of the crowd admitting to have seen them more than once, myself included. Just before the music began, a small group of fans made their way up to the side of the stage as the epic conclusion to their VIP package experience.
Shaun Foist, Breaking Benjamin’s drummer, was the first member to appear. With the band’s iconic knot symbol glowing from behind him, Shaun began to engage the crowd with cheers and roars. The rest of the band soon appeared. Breaking Benjamin opened with the fan-favorite “Blow Me Away”. With rhythm guitarist Keith Wallen and bassist Aaron Bruch on backing vocals and Jasen Rauch on lead guitar, the only member left to join the stage was the man himself, Benjamin Burnley. Once the band was in full swing, the crowd was completely enthralled by Breaking Benjamin’s distinct light show, rhythms, and lyrics.
Dustin Bates joined the band for their hit “Breath” from their 2006 album Phobia, which was absolutely incredible. The last time Dustin joined Burnley on that track was during Breaking Benjamin’s acoustic tour in 2015 that featured Starset as the openers, which I was lucky enough to have also attended. Lacey Sturm also made her way back onto the stage, this time to join the band for the song “Dear Agony”. In early 2020 Breaking Benjamin released a compilation album of re-imagined classics titled Aurora, which also included features by Lacey, Adam Gontier formerly of Three Days Grace, and Michael Barnes of Red, among others. Lacey’s collab on “Dear Agony” quickly became a fan favorite and was a highly anticipated moment of the show. And lastly, just before the end of their set, Shaun Morgan made a spontaneous visit to perform “The Diary of Jane”.
Out of all of the surprises and special guests sprinkled in throughout the night, the one at the beginning of Breaking Benjamin’s set was surely the sweetest. As soon as the music started, Burnley brought out his young son, also named Ben, who proceeded to dance and sing around the stage the entire night. Everyone could see how proud Burnley was of his son, and the two were by far the highlight of the night. You can see photos of the sweet moment above.
Setlist:
- Blow Me Away
- Follow
- Angels Fall
- Firefly (Aaron Bruch on vocals)
- So Cold
- Failure
- Until the End
- Red Cold River
- Breath (with Dustin Bates)
- Dance With the Devil
- Break My Fall (Keith Wallen on vocals)
- Dear Agony (with Lacey Sturm)
- Polyamorous
- Give Me a Sign
- Home
- Evil Angel
- I Will Not Bow
- The Diary of Jane (with Shaun Morgan)
- Rain
From beginning to end, this tour has been one of the most fun and exhilarating shows I’ve attended in a long time. You can buy tickets for additional shows here.
