Show Review, Photos: Disturbed Celebrated 25 Years of 'The Sickness' in Sacramento
Disturbed
‘The Sickness’ 25th Anniversary Tour
w/ Daughtry, Nothing More
Golden 1 Center
Sacramento, CA
May 9th, 2025
Review and Photos by Jared Stossel
It is amazing to me that Disturbed’s The Sickness is over twenty-five years old now. Released at the height of the ‘nu-metal’ era that dominated the late nineties and early 2000s, yet not quite fitting in with the same crowd as rap-rock acts like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, the album is still a force of nature twenty-odd years later. There isn’t a soul on this planet that has a love of rock and metal that doesn’t know the opening drum notes to “Down With The Sickness”.
All these years later, fans are still clamoring to hear the record, as thousands packed out Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center for the only Northern California date of the band’s ‘The Sickness’ 25th Anniversary Tour. (A previous date had been scheduled for tonight at Chase Center in San Francisco, but was cancelled due to the Golden State Warriors progressing in the NBA Playoffs). The four-piece metal act, fronted by David Draiman, captivated the masses with a nearly two-hour show that found them playing The Sickness from front to back - complete with elaborate theatrics - along with a slate of greatest hits.
The show was opened by metalcore up-and-comers Nothing More, who took the crowd in their hands the second they stepped foot on the stage, and never let up off the gas for the entirety of their half-hour set. For a genre that can at times become stale and monotonous, Nothing More infused their show with brutality and stunning vocal prowess, with vocalist Jonny Hawkins dominating the stage as he navigated between screaming and singing. The band concluded their performance front and center, making their way down to the very end of the catwalk to play their respective instruments. Despite having a short amount of time, the four-piece Texas act made quite the first impression.
Daughtry took the stage for an hour-long support set. As crazy as it is to think that The Sickness is over two decades old, it’s crazier to think that Chris Daughtry had his beginnings during the fifth season of American Idol, not even winning his season, yet managed to become one of the biggest breakout stars from the show anyway. His trajectory over the last five years has seen him becoming a dominant force in the rock and metal community, and his vocal performance is as gritty and immaculate as ever. Whether he’s headlining on his own tours or opening for acts like Disturbed, Daughtry is right at home on stages like last night’s.
It has been well over a decade since I’ve seen Disturbed, and I can confidently say that this was the best performance I’ve seen them give. No expense was spared as the band included a largely theatrical performance with an impressive stage and video setup that complimented each song. Pyro and fireworks were used with aplomb throughout the entire evening; an inflatable of the band’s menacing mascot “The Guy” towered over the stage during the Greatest Hits set; a string quartet joined the band with a piano that lit on fire as guitarist Dan Donegan played it; David Draiman was rolled out on stage in a straitjacket and mask a la Hannibal Lecter; and it was all massively entertaining. Towards the end of the The Sickness set, before launching into closer “The Meaning Of Life”, Draiman was brought back out on stage and strapped to an electric chair at the end of the catwalk. His prisoner character is “killed off”, amidst a flurry of fake blood and electric sparks, providing a unique effect that I can’t recall ever having seen in a live performance. And of course, what could have been a bigger highlight than Draiman bringing his girlfriend on stage before performing “The Light” and proposing to her in front a roaring Sacramento crowd? It might be one of the sweetest moments I’ve ever seen at a heavy metal show.
Whether they were playing the full album, or songs like “Indestructible”, “Land of Confusion”, or “Inside The Fire”, the crowd ate up every moment. Disturbed brought forth a masterclass in how to put on an entertaining metal show. You know that you’re winning the audience over when you play your big hit as the fourth song on the setlist, and the crowd doesn’t let up their excitement for another hour and a half. The longevity is quite extraordinary.
Disturbed Set List
The Sickness
Voices
The Game
Stupify
Down With The Sickness
Violence Fetish
Fear
Numb
Want
Conflict
Shout (Tears for Fears cover)
Droppin’ Plates
Meaning of Life
Greatest Hits Set
I Will Not Break
Bad Man
Land of Confusion (Genesis cover with Chris Daughtry)
Indestructible
The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
The Light
Inside The Fire
