 | Written by Alex Stojanovic DISTURBED (THE SICKNESS 25th ANNIVERSARY TOUR 2025) w/ Daughtry and Nothing More @ Scotiabank Arena Toronto, ON, Canada April 7, 2025 OH-WAH-AH-AH-AH!!! That right there has become one of the most; if not the most, iconic and recognizable vocal hook of the 2000s. It was the time when nu metal was the new dominant force in heavy music, and people were primed and ready for the angry attack that was to come from a little debut album that is now an absolute classic called The Sickness by a little band from Chicago called Disturbed. As we sit here now in 2025, that album is finally getting its chance to be celebrated in style with a 25th anniversary tour where the band play the album in its entirety. |
The attempt was first made back in 2020 for a 20th anniversary, but it was called off due to a little something called Covid. This tour made a stop in Toronto at the Scotiabank Arena on a rather cold Monday night on April 7, along with special guests Daughtry and Nothing More. I just quickly have to mention that for me personally, it was a special moment finally getting to see Disturbed after being a fan for 20 years since Ten Thousand Fists came out, because I never got to see them live until now, and I got to hear songs that were a huge part of the soundtrack to my life between 2005-2008 when I was 13-16 years old.
Getting into the festivities, Nothing More kicked off the night with a solid half-an-hour of high octane hard rock. The arena was still in the process of people coming in, so the crowd was still pretty sparse by the time that it was showtime. Even though Nothing More have been getting a high profile in the last few years, they've been a band that has largely gone under my radar, but the only song I was aware of was "Mr. MTV". However, I was aware of the highly energetic live show that they put on. Frontman Jonny Hawkins was a fireball on stage, and they even had David Draiman of Disturbed come out and guest with them on "Angel's Song", which he recorded a guest vocal on. It's not often that at a show, a member of the headlining band comes and joins the special guest on stage, so it was rather cool to see that kind of moment.
Getting into the festivities, Nothing More kicked off the night with a solid half-an-hour of high octane hard rock. The arena was still in the process of people coming in, so the crowd was still pretty sparse by the time that it was showtime. Even though Nothing More have been getting a high profile in the last few years, they've been a band that has largely gone under my radar, but the only song I was aware of was "Mr. MTV". However, I was aware of the highly energetic live show that they put on. Frontman Jonny Hawkins was a fireball on stage, and they even had David Draiman of Disturbed come out and guest with them on "Angel's Song", which he recorded a guest vocal on. It's not often that at a show, a member of the headlining band comes and joins the special guest on stage, so it was rather cool to see that kind of moment.
 Photo credit: Alex Stojanovic | Daughtry took the stage next with a setlist that clocked in just under an hour. I remember listening to Daughtry's first album back in 2007, but for some reason, I didn't really go past that one. As a result, the only songs in the set I was familiar with were "It's Not Over" and "Home". The only other song they treated us to that I knew was a cover of Journey's "Separate Ways". If there were a couple of songs that I wish he played, they would've been "Over You" and "What I Want", given that they were both from the first album, and my two favourite Daughtry tunes. Regardless, it was quite cool to finally see the band live, and I'm gonna be checking out the post-debut album material. |
It was now time to get down with the sickness with Disturbed. A little video montage showcasing the history of the band while going back in time to the beginning played as the band entered the stage. In celebrating the classic era, they brought back David Draiman's classic Hannibal Lecter entrance where he's wheeled out on a dolly while in a straitjacket and the facial restraint before launching into "Voices". Running through the setlist in tracklist order, we were treated to the classic cuts like "The Game", "Stupify" and that little song everyone seems to know called "Down With The Sickness". At the same time, we got treated to all the deep cuts, many of which have only been played on rare occasions over the years like "Fear", "Want", "Droppin' Plates" and "Meaning Of Life", as well as cuts that haven't been played in between over a decade to over 20 years like "Numb", "Conflict" and their Tears For Fears cover of "Shout". It was during the end of the Sickness set that they had a mock electric chair execution of David, and the whole band performed in prison suits.
After a 20-minute intermission, it was now time for the Greatest Hits set. Starting off with the brand new single "I Will Not Break", they then launched into a nice selection of post-Sickness hits like "Ten Thousand Fists", "Bad Man", "Indestructible", and their famous covers of "Land Of Confusion" and "The Sound Of Silence". Something else Disturbed has become famous for is inviting young fans and sometimes even their parents to join them on stage for a song, and they did just that before going into "The Light". While bringing up a young 10-year-old fan named Gavin, and his dad named Sy, David launched into an inspiring speech about unity and empowerment before launching into "The Light". It was during the chorus of this song that he asked the audience to raise up their lighters and phones to light up the room. The show was also filled with pyro as well, but it was during "Inside The Fire", which closed the show where they unleashed it all. There were no concussion blasts though.
In conclusion, it was a fun-filled nostalgia trip at Scotiabank Arena with Disturbed. This tour will be running through the U.S until May, and then later this fall, the tour will head to Europe with Megadeth supporting, so go and relive the 2000s by celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Sickness, one of the most iconic debut albums of the 21st century.
After a 20-minute intermission, it was now time for the Greatest Hits set. Starting off with the brand new single "I Will Not Break", they then launched into a nice selection of post-Sickness hits like "Ten Thousand Fists", "Bad Man", "Indestructible", and their famous covers of "Land Of Confusion" and "The Sound Of Silence". Something else Disturbed has become famous for is inviting young fans and sometimes even their parents to join them on stage for a song, and they did just that before going into "The Light". While bringing up a young 10-year-old fan named Gavin, and his dad named Sy, David launched into an inspiring speech about unity and empowerment before launching into "The Light". It was during the chorus of this song that he asked the audience to raise up their lighters and phones to light up the room. The show was also filled with pyro as well, but it was during "Inside The Fire", which closed the show where they unleashed it all. There were no concussion blasts though.
In conclusion, it was a fun-filled nostalgia trip at Scotiabank Arena with Disturbed. This tour will be running through the U.S until May, and then later this fall, the tour will head to Europe with Megadeth supporting, so go and relive the 2000s by celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Sickness, one of the most iconic debut albums of the 21st century.
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