October 22, 2024 – Your favorite rock boys came to Dallas, but they did not come to mess around. Breaking Benjamin and Staind with the support of Daughtry and Lakeview knocked out a sold-out show at the Dos Equis Pavilion.
I didn’t make it in time to catch Lakeview’s set, but I heard it was killer. I arrived at the venue just in time for Daughtry, though, and I am so happy I did. The man does not age and neither does his voice! He sounds just as he did on American Idol almost twenty years ago! Daughtry played a short but sweet set, opening with “The Reckoning,” a cover of “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” by Journey – just glorious – and “Pieces.” At this particular venue, photographers are supposed to go put their gear up after the first three songs before returning to the crowd and of course the fourth song on the setlist was “It’s Not Over” – *cries in millennial. Halfway through the set, Daughtry performed a beautiful, acoustic rendition of “Home.” Closing out were “Over You,” “Heavy Is the Crown” ending on “Artificial.”
Getting to cover Staind was a nice little bucket list item to check off the list.
I have been a fan for over twenty years – I remember being ten years old when the band released 2001 and playing “It’s Been A While” on a constant loop. Staind released their eleventh studio album “Confessions Of The Fallen (Deluxe)” in August this year with new song “Full of Emptiness.”
At the show in Dallas, the band opened with “Lowest in Me,” “Eyes Wide Open” and “Fade.” Once I got to my seat after photographing them, it was sort of difficult to see anyone on stage as so many in the pit constantly had their hands in the air, throwing up the horns. Halfway through the set, Staind performed “Outside” after Aaron Lewis proclaimed that some of the crowd could’ve been conceived to the song (lol) and there wasn’t a single audience member not singing every damn lyric. Same goes for “So Far Away” and the end of their time on stage when they closed with “It’s Been A While” and “Mudshovel” – that was the most cathartic moment of the evening in my opinion.
Another band that just gets better with age: Breaking Benjamin.
Wow these guys are incredible and insanely energetic for being on the scene since 1998! Getting to hear tunes from 2004’s “We Are Not Alone,” 2006’s “Phobia” and 2009’s “Dear Agony” was so sick – those were soundtracks to my life in high school. The band opened with “Failure,” “Until the End” and “Red Cold River.” The energy shift when Breaking Benjamin played the first line of “So Cold” the crowd went crazy and the girls next to me added a nice flair with very loud harmonies during the choruses.
A few more tracks in the second half of the set included fan-favorite “Dance with the Devil,” “Breath” and “Polyamorous.” Closing out the evening with a heavy bang, Breaking Benjamin gave the audience electric performances of big-hitters “Dear Agony,” “I Will Not Bow” and “The Diary of Jane” – I still cannot believe I heard that in person. I knew this would be a killer show, but damn did they exceed my expectations!
This was one of the most cathartic events I’ve ever attended so I strongly encourage you to do the same the next time Breaking Benjamin, Staind, Daughtry or Lakeview on their next respective tours in your city!
PHOTO CREDIT: Live photos by Jessica Fagen for ZrockR Magazine – (c) 2024 – All Rights Reserved.