Metal Anarchy

Last night (March 11), I attended the Breaking Benjamin and Starset show in Modesto, CA, and both bands rocked.

Starset opened the show and had an awesome stage show. They had a unique space theme that showed up in their songs, and their outfits, which looked like glowing space suits (not counting vocalist Dustin Bates’). They even called their set a “demonstration,” which was also interesting. The highlight of their set was when they performed the fan-favorite “My Demons.”

Then it was Breaking Benjamin’s turn. The band was on point all night, and the latest lineup of the band is definitely a force to be reckoned with. A cool thing about their set was the fact that they alternated between vocalists. Frontman Benjamin Burnley turned the microphone over to Keith Wallen (ex-Adelitas Way) for the tracks “Sooner Or Later” and “Until The End.” Aaron Bruch (ex-Forever Ouevre) also took over vocals for “Simple Design” and “Believe.” Burnley even had Bates return to the stage to sing “Breath” as well.

As for other highlights, one was when the band had the venue turn off all the lights, which allowed the crowd to light up the room with their phones. Another was when they performed a cool medely that mixed together a few covers, including bits of Pantera’s “Walk” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The last one was when the band wrapped the show with “I Will Not Bow,” before returning for their encore track “The Diary Of Jane.” All in all, it was a great show.