Breaking Benjamin & Bush - Live In Knoxville!

Photos and Review By Nick Wood

The final show of Breaking Benjamin's Spring Tour was last night at Thompson-Boilng Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. Another Day Dawns opened the show up. They are a young and up-and-coming band from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Playing a solid thirty-minute set, the band jammed out with ferocious bass lines, melodic guitar solos, and powerful vocals. Another Day Dawns has one album out currently, A Different Life, released in 2019, along with several singles released within the last year, which hopefully means another docket of new songs is on the way soon. Co-headliners Bush hit the stage next. Gavin Rossdale, Bush's singer, and guitarist, proved that age is just a number bringing high energy throughout the entire set. Promoting their newest album, The Art of Survival, Bush played a ten-song set filled with tracks such as More than Machines, Heavy is the Ocean, Identity, and recently released single, All Things Must Change. The band also rocked out to classic hits off the legendary Sixteen Stone album, including Machinehead, Glycerine, Comedown, and Everything's Zen. The band comprises Chris Traynor on Lead Guitar, Nik Hughes on Drums, Corey Britz on Bass, and the previously mentioned Rossdale at the helm on rhythm guitar and lead

vocals. The energy Bush brought to the stage was second to none, engaging the crowd with every chance they could. Rossdale decided the high energy on stage wasn't enough and jumped down into the crowd for Flowers on a Grave off of The Kingdom, going all around the venue from the nosebleeds to the middle section seats. He wanted to ensure everyone would have that feeling of being up close, which was personal. Concertgoers of all ages attended, from young to old. This was an example of Bush's music drawing in fans of generation after generation. Their headlining tour starts in the late summer and goes into early fall. You do not want to miss out. Closing out the show was Breaking Benjamin, who played a solid 15-song set spanning their entire discography, from their first album Saturate to the most recent album Ember. Benjamin Burnley, lead vocalist, Keith Wallen, lead guitarist, Shaun Foist, drums, Jasen Rauch, rhythm guitar, and Aaron Bruch on bass showcased their immense talent individually as well as collectively as a band. They opened the performance with Blow Me Away while appearing behind a huge white curtain covering the entire stage. Follow and Angels Fall followed, before Fallen took over lead vocals for a rendition of Sooner or Later. The Wilkes-Barre-based band has been rocking stages for over 20 years, and this show in Knoxville was no different! Their set contained many more hits than previously mentioned, with songs Dance With The Devil and Polyamorous being major highlights. The Knoxville show proved the cliche that you save the best for last. They finished the show with Diary of Jane before saying farewell to the audience. For those that missed BB on this tour, they need not worry. They will set out with Disturbed and Jinjer for a massive US tour this summer, so check it out!