Gas South Arena played host to the latest stop on Disturbed’s The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour on Wednesday night. The Grammy Award-nominated band had fellow Grammy-nominated artists Daughtry and Nothing More in tow. Located in the northeast region of Atlanta, this 13,000-seat arena is part of the Gas South District situated within the city of Duluth, a multipurpose campus which includes restaurants, a convention center and a performing arts center. When not leveraged for concert events, the Gas South Arena is also a versatile venue that is home to the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators, NLL’s Georgia Swarm and the APV’s Atlanta Vibe.
Kicking off the night at 6:30pm in front of the early audience was Nothing More from San Antonio, Texas. Known for their energetic performances and sentimental songwriting, the 3x-Grammy-nominated band started their set with “House on Sand” pulled from their latest release, Carnal (2024). Anchored by the buff and barefoot Jonny Hawkins (vocals), Nothing More was rounded out by Ben Anderson (drums), Daniel Oliver (bass), and Mark Vollelunga (guitars).
Nothing More’s set was sadly and unexpectedly cut short to only five songs due to an announced illness with Hawkins. However, they did get to perform their emotionally-charged song I had hoped to hear in “FREEFALL,” also off Carnal. With soaring vocals and arena-rock musical hooks, “FREEFALL” passionately coveys the story about a firefighter’s mental health struggle who eventually finds solace and purpose after making a chance connection with a homeless dog. It is a touching song, with a video that includes vocal participation from Chris Daughtry. Hopefully Nothing More will make a return visit to the Atlanta area down the road, as I am sure a full headline gig at a more intimate venue would be spectacular.
Nothing More
Jonny Hawkins – Lead vocals
Mark Vollelunga – Guitars, backing vocals
Daniel Oliver – Bass, backing vocals
Ben Anderson – Drums, percussion
Setlist:
1.) House on Sand
2.) If It Doesn’t Hurt
3.) FREEFALL
4.) Jenny
5.) Angel Song
Out on the road in support of their 2024 EP Shock to the System (Part One), Daughtry hit the stage shortly after 7:15pm. Fronted by the vocally powerful namesake Chris Daughtry, who you will likely recall was a finalist on the fifth season (2006) of American Idol, the rock band initiated their evening with “The Reckoning,” the lead track off that EP. In fact, the band pulled four total tunes off Shock to the System (Part One), including “The Dam” and “Pieces,” all-the-while book-ending their evening with the EP-sourced banger “Artificial.”
Having never seen Daughtry live before, it was the performances of “It’s Not Over” and “Home” from the self-titled debut studio album (2006) I was most looking forward to, and they did not disappoint. With a musically-tight band consisting of Brian Craddock (guitars), Elvio Fernandes (keyboards), Marty O’Brien (bass), and the recently-added Anthony Ghazel (previously of Hollywood Undead and Falling in Reverse) on drums, Daughtry delivered memorable renditions of these familiar songs. And not to be overlooked, Daughtry also executed a lively sing-along version of the immediately recognizable Journey cover of “Separate Ways” mid-set. It was a fantastic performance that showcased Chris Daughtry’s continued maturity as an artist, helping to bury his American Idol days further in the past.
Daughtry
Chris Daughtry – Lead vocals, guitar
Brian Craddock – Guitar, backing vocals
Elvio Fernandes – Keyboards, piano, occasional guitar, backing vocals
Marty O’Brien – Bass
Anthony Ghazel – Drums
Setlist:
1.) The Reckoning
2.) Changes Are Coming
3.) World on Fire
4.) Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (Journey cover)
5.) The Day I Die
6.) It’s Not Over
7.) Home
8.) The Dam
9.) Pieces
10.) Heavy Is the Crown
11.) Artificial
With the equipment turn complete and the clock closing in on 8:45pm, the crowd was teased with Disturbed’s apropos introductory music, “Back in Time” by Huey Lewis and the News. This Disturbed tour was themed in reaching back in time, with the band out celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut studio album, The Sickness (2000). The evening’s spectacle began with the stage curtain being slowly pulled up to reveal Dan Donegan (guitars), John Moyer (bass), and Mike Wengren (drums) all in place while David Draiman (lead vocals) was rolled out to the front of the drum riser in a straitjacket by an “orderly.” Once released, and his muzzle mask removed, the 52-year-old Draiman launched the band into “Voices,” the first track off The Sickness.
As advertised, Disturbed then proceeded to play The Sickness in its entirety and in order, including legacy fan favorites in “Stupify” and “Down with the Sickness.” Draiman’s iconic, dark vocal tones were as on point as I had hoped, with energetic Donegan and Moyer leveraging the thrust stage to actively engage with the crowd. It is also worth highlighting the venue production was top-notch, from the sharp sound and lighting, down to the appropriately timed pyrotechnics and laser lights.
Deeper into the first set, Disturbed delivered their well-executed cover of Tears for Fears’ “Shout,” immediately followed by Draiman being theatrically dressed in an orange jumpsuit while strapped into an electric chair to perform the haunting “Dropping Plates.” This first segment of the night concluded with the closing track from The Sickness, “Meaning of Life.”
Following a decompressing 20-minute intermission, Disturbed returned to the stage to start their greatest hits “encore” segment. The band opened with “Ten Thousand Fists,” and then rolled into their recently-released single, “I Will Not Break.” Their eight-song encore also included two additional covers, including one of my favorite 1980s songs in “Land of Confusion” by Genesis, as well as the Simon & Garfunkel classic, “The Sound of Silence.” Disturbed put an exclamation point on the full night of heavy metal (via more pyrotechnics blasts, of course) with back-to-back catalog highlights in “The Light” off Immortalized (2015) and “Inside the Fire” from Indestructible (2008).
The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour continues on through the middle of May, where it will wrap up its U.S. leg on Saturday, May 17th, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Disturbed
Dan Donegan – Guitars, keyboards, programming, backing vocals
Mike Wengren – Drums, percussion, programming, backing vocals
David Draiman – Lead vocals
John Moyer – Bass, backing vocals
Setlist:
The Sickness
1.) Voices
2.) The Game
3.) Stupify
4.) Down With the Sickness
5.) Violence Fetish
6.) Fear
7.) Numb
8.) Want
9.) Conflict
10.) Shout (Tears for Fears cover)
11.) Droppin’ Plates
12.) Meaning of Life
Greatest Hits
13.) I Will Not Break
14.) Ten Thousand Fists
15.) Bad Man
16.) Land of Confusion (Genesis cover)
17.) Indestructible
18.) The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
19.) The Light
20.) Inside the Fire
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Elliott is a music photographer covering shows in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area. The highlight of his photography career was back in the early ’90s, when he sold Neil Diamond the rights to his negatives from a show and then purchased a set of tires for his 1979 280ZX during college with the money.
