January 30, 2009 held a night that can only be described in one word: EPIC. It was a night of extreme hard rock with earsplitting guitar riffs and vocals and stage presence I have only seen from older bands like Motley Crue and Aerosmith.

I found my seat inside the Pearl at the Palms hotel and casino. It is a very nice venue that is very comfortable and unlike most, you can tell that no matter what seat you have in the house you have a clear cut view of the stage and those upon it.

Opening band Skindred came out at about 8 p.m. I have never seen a bigger bunch of amazingly mixed together misfits. They all looked different like they shouldn't be in a band together but they were AMAZING. That was the beauty of it. You have all these bands now looking the same, but there was something just different. I honestly had not heard them before so I was in for a wonderful treat as soon as singer Benji Webbe opened his mouth. As the band, Dan, Mikey, and Arya, backed him up it was a sweet sound that I can only describe as a mix between Wyclef Jean and Rage Against A Machine. They played songs such as "Ratrace", "Nobody", and "Trouble", even making fun of the crowd to local Vegas band Panic! At the Disco's song "I Write Sins Not Tragedies". They definitely know how to bring the crowd together. This U.K. band is just amazing and if you ever get the chance definitely check them out!

The next band was one I had actually heard of but never heard- Sevendust. They were another band with amazing stage presence. They made the crowd go crazy by saying that places like L.A. are nothing compared to Las Vegas because we Vegas crowds have the best energy. They had an amazing connection with the crowd and definately kept the mood for the night going after opener Skindred. They played songs like "Clueless" and "Abuse Me".
They got the crowd to actually dance with their Static-X esque music and Avenged Sevenfold-like vocals full of harmonies and melodies. They definitely know how to get the crowd going.

Finally, at 9:45 the focus of the night came onto the stage. Disturbed. Singer David Draiman was wheeled out in a straight jacket and Silence of the Lambs type mask. When removed he was clad in a black, Michael Myers style jumpsuit sporting the band name down the side. Behind the band was a simple banner that spelled out DISTURBED in gigantic silver lettering. They began the show with a song off of the new album followed by "Liberate". They were just as tight live as they are on every single one of their albums. Never before had I seen or heard such a group capable of doing what they do. After the fourth song, "Voices" off of their first album "The Sickness", the banner behind them changes to their mascot sporting his new look off the new album. Their mascot, more commonly known as The Guy was seen on their first album as simply a wicked smile, but since then he has actually formed into a guy. The fifth song of the night is the title track of the new album, "Indestructible". The solo from Dan Donegan is absolutely flawless and John Moyer's bass sports the album name on the fingerboard of his bass.

About halfway into the show, after the banner has changed again, this time into a motley crowd, fists pumped into the air, singer Draiman addresses the crowd with a laugh as sinister as Satan himself. "I need you all to do me a favor," he says. "Get out all of the pent up aggression you all hold and release your inner demons, for WE are your exorcists! I want to see the pit going! I want to feel your energy coming at me! This is the biggest group therapy session you will ever go to so let's make it worth it!" The fans go wild and seem to trust him with this promise. They break into more music with guitarist Dan Donegan playing the fuck out of his solos backed by bassist John Moyer and drummer Mike Wengren.

The 9th song of the night is one of their biggest hits, "Stupify" off of their first album "The Sickness" and the crowd clearly goes crazy enjoying the absolute raging atmosphere. Singer Draiman asks the crowd to use a bit of dirty language with him as he screams "fuck" into his microphone numerous times in the song and towards the end letting the crowd scream it over him. The crowd amazed me with the way they knew every single word including the Hebrew word "tefached" meaning scared or afraid. The next song is "The Game", their fourth hit off of their debut album "The Sickness". They rip through it with no problem and it sounds just as good live as it has every single time I heard it on the radio or blaring from a friend's headphones. After the song finishes the band says goodnight to the crowd and John, Dan, and David leave the stage leaving Mike Wengren all by his lonesome on his drum kit. The crowd knows what this means, and as he kicks in to a drum solo the crowd goes completely wild. I have not seen skills on drums like this since seeing KMFDM at Mandalay Bay's House of Blues. It was absolutely phenomenal. The backdrop behind Wengren changes again back to The Guy giving a close up off the new album "Indestructible".

They come back out and play "Stricken", the second single released off of their third studio album "Ten Thousand Fists". The crowd sings along with Draiman in perfect tune every word including the sounds "ah ah ah oh" from Draiman's throat. After this, Draiman spots a young boy in the front row and actually PULLS him on to the stage! "You know, I'm starting to notice more and more his age at our shows. It used to be 3 or 4 and now it's 10 or 20. What's your name kid?" he says. You can tell that this little boy is completely in heaven at the moment as he manages to squeak out "Trevor" and when Draiman asks how old he is he replies with "12". Trevor then suddenly gets excited and tells Draiman that "Inside the Fire" is his favorite song by Disturbed ever. Draiman thanks young Trevor and then tells the crowd, "You know, I'm sorry to all you parents but I will not curb my mouth. I can't help my language. So, Trevor, whenever you know I am going to say a bad word I want you to stick on some ear muffs. Can you promise me that?" After Trevor shows Draiman the earplugs he had purchased before the show Draiman gives the young boy a pat on the back and puts him back into the crowd. He thanks the crowd for making the song "Inside the Fire" off of their new album a hit because it has been nominated for a Grammy. After he song drummer Wengren goes into another guitar solo, but this time he slows it down into the beginning drum beat for "Down With The Sickness". The crowd goes the wildest they have all night. You can hear the opening words of "Can you feel it?" be echoed throughout the concert hall by hundreds of fans. There is absolutely no words that can describe the raw energy that was in the air from this "group therapy session". During that song the crowd really did let out all inner demons. Even Draiman himself let them out to play. During the breakdown of the song where he screams about being hit by his mother he drops to his knees and repeatedly punches himself in the head every other word. It was just pure fucking metal.

When the show was over as Draiman thanked the crowd for their time and for coming out I felt almost a release of any built up tension thanks to this "therapy session". This is a band that whether you know every word to every song or you've only heard their hits on the radio you should go see if you have the chance because I can promise you will leave the show completely amazed and completely in awe. I want to thank these guys for coming to Vegas and putting on the best show I have ever seen, and that's saying a lot. I have been to many shows from Rob Zombie to AFI to KMFDM to Hot Hot Heat and Motley Crue and never before have a left a concert wanting to run up to everyone I see to tell them about what I just experienced. I also want to individually thank Dan Donegan again for taking time out of the day of this show to give me a few answers to some questions I had for him about himself and Disturbed. I will definitely be seeing them again, and you should go see them as well because like I said, whether you like them or not, they are a fucking killer show and you will not leave dissapointed.