Review By Alexia Gilchrist
Photos By Laura Fox (LLFoxphotos)
May the Fourth be with you indeed if you were one of the many fans who attended the Breaking Benjamins Spring Tour 2022May 4 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, IN. Breaking Benjamin not only gave their fans the privilege of witnessing this hard core tour, but also provided a lineup to die for. To have supporting acts from Seether, Starset and former vocalist for Flyleaf, Lacey Sturm, one could argue this show was out of this world in the most captivating way.
A breathtaking, heartfelt performance was well displayed with opener Lacey Sturm. Kicking off the night with her hit song “Impossible,” Sturm created an enchanted, yet bone chilling atmosphere. Sturm has a natural ability to transition from being vulnerable to being strong with her vocals. This was well displayed in her unforgettable alternative take on “Roxanne” by The Police. Her husband, Joshua Sturm, passionately combined his acoustic guitar with his wife’s soft grunge vocals, which fueled the audience's endorphins. Just before launching into Flyleaf’s “All Around Me”, Sturm paused her performance to talk about the importance of suicide prevention. Doing so showed the audience her empathy and allowed her fans to feel wanted and important. Before leaving the stage, the pair gave their farewells and parted with a kiss… for now.
Starset came next, blowing their fans away with the cyberpunk, futuristic atmosphere they effortlessly displayed. Fans were captivated with opening song “Carnivore” and closing song “My Demons,” both coming from their first album and the album that started the “Starset Society,” Transmissions (2014). Not to mention the otherworldly violin and cello riffs provided by Siobhán Richards and Zuzana Engererova, which orchestrated a nice blend of progressive rock and metal. Starsetis no stranger to musical styles and manages to display that throughout their “demonstration.” Dustin Bates (lead vocals) creates a musical melody when combining Ron DeChant and Brock Richards vocals within “MANIFEST” from their newest album Horizons (2021). While demonstrating “Trials”, another song from Horizons (2021), Adam Gilbert (drums) kept himself known with his aggressive percussion, shaking the room. His animated style made it impossible to forget his presence in the back. Before their departure, Starset showed their appreciation of the art and their influencers. Of course their main influence being based on the main group of the night, Breaking Benjamin. Even with their influences they truly were a Star-set.
Seether managed to ignite the night with a classic, “Gasoline”, bringing the crowd back to their roots. As Seether would agree they “had nothing to say” with all the head banging their fans were doing. While they performed “Rise Above This” and “Wasteland” fans were transferred to a place of deja vu, especially with the melody the trio Shaun Morgan, Dale Stewart, and Corey Lowery provided. Fans were overwhelmingly excited when Lacey Sturm returned to the stage to perform “I’m So Sick”, a Flyleaf cover. With John Humphrey’s hard drumming style in combination with Lacey Sturm’s harmonic vocals, the song was uniquely performed. Fans surely couldn’t “Fake It” with their reactions of being captivated with the music. Seether managed to provide an ambience in the room, as if they were singing to us. Even their “Remedy” couldn’t cure our goosebumps by the end of their performance.
The most anticipated band of the night, Breaking Benjamin, really did “Blow Me Away.” For over 20 years Breaking Benjamin has been captivating audiences all across the US and abroad. Lead vocalist Benjamin Burnley can still hypnotize a room to “Rise!” with his primal growl in “Red Cold River.”Dual guitarists Jasen Rauch and Keith Wallen, along with drummer Shaun Foist and bassist Aaron Burch, emotionally attacked each song, keeping the fans on their feet through the whole set.
Leading into my favorite portion of the night, Burley requested the lights to go out and their fans to turn on their flashlights; the room was soon infused with glowing orbs coming from the audience. During this magical portion Lacey Sturm came back onto stage to assist in the song “Dear Agony.”
The crowd went into an uproar when the band started to perform “I Will Not Bow.” The audience was unreal; everyone moving and singing in sync was a sight to see. The end of the night was supposed to end with “The Diary of Jane.” however, Breaking Benjamin surprised the audience by adding an extra song, choosing to end with “Rain.”
Overall the night was extraordinarily captivating, and it is worth all the neck pain I am sure to endure. Every artist from the performance provided a synthetic escape from reality. All in all I hope they will come to central Indiana again.
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