Birmingham’s Utilita Arena is packed for a night of metal in full force. Disturbed are marking 25 years of their debut ‘The Sickness’, with Megadeth billed as special guests. In reality – or for this old-school thrasher at least – it feels more like a double-header, with Megadeth as an equal, or dare I say it, the bigger draw.
Storming the stage with their iconic logo blazing behind them. ‘Skin o’ My Teeth’ sends the arena into a frenzy of thrash, as Dave Mustaine snarls into the mic, his voice as gritty and aggressive as ever. With Teemu Mäntysaari, James LoMenzo, and Dirk Verbeuren locked in, the line-up wastes no time proving they’re a well-oiled machine. I’m in awe, nearly forty years since I first saw Megadeth, and at 64, Mustaine is every bit the force he’s always been, with that legendary mane of fire defying time.
‘Wake Up Dead’ rolls in like a freight train, and ‘Hangar 18’ throws the pit into a whirlwind. The band is impeccably tight, every intricate riff and rhythm crackling with aggression, the songs urgent and alive. There’s no banter – Mustaine just lets the music speak for itself. During Mäntysaari’s blistering solos, a glance or a raised eyebrow conveys more than words ever could.
The tension peaks with ‘Sweating Bullets’, the crowd feeding off its eerie, anxious energy, before Mustaine breaks his silence. He asks who’s heard ‘Tipping Point’, the first track from their final studio album. Verbeuren powers the band through the new song with precision, bridging the band’s storied past and present, and there’s a sense of bittersweet excitement – fans knowing this may be among the last chances to see Megadeth live.
LoMenzo kicks in the classic bass riff and the arena erupts for ‘Peace Sells’. Vic Rattlehead makes an appearance, and I swear that everybody in here is singing “Peace sells, but who’s buying?” It’s a perfect storm of nostalgia and energy, a reminder of why Megadeth have remained so relevant and revered for four decades. ‘Symphony of Destruction’ follows, pure thrash fire, fists pumping across the arena.
Closing with ‘Holy Wars… The Punishment Due’, Mustaine thanks the crowd for their decades of support before the final, thrash masterpiece. There’s no gimmicks, no unnecessary chatter – just pure metal, executed flawlessly, leaving the audience fired up and buzzing, fully aware they’ve witnessed something special before the night’s main event.
Video runs through Disturbed’s history before the curtain rises and Draiman is wheeled out Hannibal Lecter-style. Once freed, he stands, arms outstretched to soak up the adulation, and the band explode into ‘Voices’. The frontman prowls the runway, while Dan Donegan, John Moyer, and Mike Wengren lock in perfectly with the psychotic riff.
‘The Game’ drives the intensity up a notch, before ‘Stupify’ ignites waves of movement across the floor, and ‘Down With the Sickness’ turns the arena into a full-scale singalong. Draiman’s iconic “Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah!” has everyone joining in, and his chorus hook draws perfect unison from the crowd. The same happens with the lyric “Enemy” throughout ‘Conflict’, keeping the momentum tight and heavy.
It’s an impressive stage setup, pyro rising in tiers, flames and lighting shifting in sync with the music, amplifying every riff and melody. “25 years of The Sickness! Are you enjoying this trip back in time?” Draiman asks, as the band launch into their pounding cover of Tears for Fears’ ‘Shout’. “Join us in primal scream therapy” he adds, referencing Arthur Janov, whose work inspired the original track.
The first set closes with ‘Meaning of Life’. Draiman is strapped into an electric chair and survives the mock execution, blood dripping down his head. He leads the crowd in the chant: “Get psycho, I wanna get psycho”, even slipping in a nod to Ozzy’s ‘Crazy Train’ before the track reaches its explosive finale. Flames erupt, his maniacal laughter fills the arena, and when the stage goes dark, the front rows are left buzzing from the sheer spectacle.
After a twenty-minute break, Disturbed return for the Greatest Hits set, kicking straight into ‘I Will Not Break’. The band stride with authority, every move in sync with the pounding that travels from the floor all the way to the back of the arena, moving the crowd in waves. The energy is different from the first set – less theatrical spectacle, more raw connection – and it threads through everything that follows.
‘Ten Thousand Fists’ has the crowd driving every punch of another massive riff, with Draiman feeding off the chaos below. Then, before ‘Bad Man’, he pauses: “Are you ready for us to kick this into high gear?” The arena responds instantly as the track crashes in, and the enormous inflatable of The Guy rises behind the drum riser.
The Genesis cover, ‘Land of Confusion’ eases the pace briefly, before the intensity ramps back up for ‘Indestructible’. Following this is the always much-talked-about cover: ‘The Sound of Silence’. Draiman’s voice carries over the layered acoustic arrangement, flames flickering atop the piano, creating a striking and powerful centrepiece to hold the arena’s focus.
With ‘The Light’, Draiman notes that Birmingham is clearly still very much behind the band, and thanks the crowd sincerely. The track becomes a song of shared power, in light and voice, a wall of energy which fills every corner, before the set closes with ‘Inside the Fire’. As flames and lights shift, the band pour every ounce of themselves into the finale. By the last note, the arena is drained, exhilarated, and fully aware they’ve witnessed Disturbed at their commanding best.
Review & Photography: Steve Johnston
