observatory

Disturbed || The Observatory

Disturbed, the multi-platinum, Nu-Metal legends sold out The Observatory in Santa Ana, California on March 17th, 2016. It was definitely one of the most packed shows I have ever been to. Before any bands started playing, the venue was humid and smelled of sweat and body odor. This only got worse over time. This was the fourth time I’ve seen Disturbed live and it was a very unique experience because every other time I have seen them, its been at a massive amphitheater or outdoor festival with a crowd in the thousands while this show probably only had 1,000. The shows I’ve seen have had massive amounts of smoke, lighting, pyrotechnics, and even moving stage pieces. While this show was toned down on the theatricality, the energy and phenomenal performance were consistent with what I have seen in the past. 

The crowd was constantly on their feet with vocalist David Draiman leading them. Disturbed is possibly has the best crowd interaction of any band I have seen, making each show memorable and unique. My favorite part of this show was in the middle of the set when the band slowed things down, whipped out the acoustic guitars and played “Darkness” and “Song of Silence.” Personally, I love it when metal bands can really nail slow songs because it shows off their diversity and talent. My other favorite part of the show was how Draiman interacted with the crowd on the song “The Light” off of their new album Immortalized. Before he started the song, he instructed everyone to whip out their cell phone flash lights and lighters and wave then high in the sky. The catch was the crowd was only supposed to do this when Draiman said the words “the light” during the chorus. The majority of the song was dark until that moment came and lighters and flashlights illuminated the room in under a second.

Even after playing 17 songs, the crowd was longing for more. With seven full length albums, there is no chance that Disturbed could play every hit song. The set would end up being close to 2 hours long, but I don’t think the fans would mind. They played some of the hits along with material off of their new record. Luckily, their setlist wasn’t too heavily saturated with tracks from Immortalized which would have cut down on some of the crowd favorites. 

Setlist: 

Ten Thousand Fists, The Game, The Vengeful One, Prayer, Liberate, Land of Confusion, The Infection, Stupify, Darkness, The Sound of Silence, Inside The Fire, Stricken, The Light, Closer / I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Baba O’Riley / Killing In the Name, Indestructible, Voices, Down With The Sickness

The Word Alive || The Observatory

The Word Alive show started off with a bang as The Mirage Theory opened at The Observatory on February 20th, 2016. Hailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico, this progressive metal core band was just one of many local bands invited to open for Fit For A King and The Word Alive. Telle Smith (Vocalist of The Word Alive) explained during their set that they had a well known guest band going to come play the show with them, but with only 24 hours notice, the band cancelled leaving The Word Alive in the dust. Instead of being defeated, TWA invited various local bands to open for them instead!

In case you haven’t seen The Mirage Theory at local shows in the Los Angeles area (or in Puerto Rico), they put on an exciting and energetic show regardless of the turnout, venue, or day of the week. During songs “Whaleshark and Dying And The Dead,” keyboard player Jon Viguié throws his keyboard on his back and starts shredding next to guitarist Israel Romero. Citing bands such as Dream Theater, Periphery, and Between The Buried And Me as their influences, The Mirage Theory continues to wow audiences in Los Angeles with their highly technical music and astounding performances. The Mirage Theory is currently recording new material at their recording studio in Brea, Flying Pig Productions.

Eddie Melendez of The Mirage Theory

Opening directly before The Word Alive was American Metalcore band Fit For A King. Currently signed by Solid State Records and based out of Texas, Fit For A King put on an amazing show that really set the tone for how the rest of the night would go. Everyone in the band was filled with so much positivity and energy before, during, and after the show, making fans fall in love with them even more. Their set was filled with absolutely brutal breakdowns that had the crowd moving and on their feet. Thanks to an interview at the show by Cayem Interviews, Fit For A King said they have just recorded a new album but have chosen not to play any news songs on the tour until singles get released. You can catch Fit For A King on Sunday, March 20th at So What Festival as they open for bands like Beartooth, The Devil Wears Prada, and Underoath.

Ryan Kirby of Fit For A King

The moment everyone was waiting for finally arrived. The Word Alive headlined the show at The Observatory in Santa Ana and the crowd couldn’t be any happier. Having just released the song “Sellout” off of their upcoming album, fans flocked to see TWA perform live. They played 7 out of the 10 songs off of their new album which has not yet been released to the public, which left the crowd speechless as they absorbed the new material for the first time. The rest of the set was completely explosive. The crowd was constantly moshing, jumping, and singing along to some of their favorite songs. Throughout the show, massive bursts of smoke would emanate from the stage, filling the room with a beautiful haze. The Word Alive will continue their tour with Fit For A King and will also play at So What Festival in Texas. 

Telle Smith of The Word Alive

The Word Alive:

Dreamer, Sellout, The Hounds of Anubis, Face To Face, Grunge, 2012, Lighthouse, Made This Way, Dark Matter, Entirety, Play The Victim, Trapped, Life Cycles

Fit For A King:

Hollow King (Sound of the End), Ancient Waters, Slave To Nothing, Descendants, Hooked, Forever Unbroken, Warpath

The Mirage Theory:

Colider, Whaleshark, The Dying and The Dead, Disappear