Tag: breakingbenjamin

October 7, 2022 – PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel NJ

Review by Chris Yates // Photography by Estelle Massry

It was a beautiful fall evening in New Jersey as Alice In Chains, Breaking Benjamin, Bush & Plush closed out the summer schedule with the second to last performance at the PNC Bank Arts Center.

The talented all female band, Plush, opened the night with some great rock & roll. I’ve read that their mission is to bring rock back to the forefront of the music scene. The heavy guitar playing lady rockers are certainly driving that train in the right direction. They played for about half an hour and were a perfect opener to get the crowd amped up as rock fans filled the venue.

The 90’s alternative grunge rock band favorite Bush followed, and by the time Gavin Rossdale and team played their second song the Arts Center was packed and the amphitheater stayed that way for the entire night. Bush sounded great, played for about 45 minutes and mixed in a bunch of old and new. A few highlights for me were when Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains joined Bush for “Comedown” and another was when Gavin left the stage and paraded through the entire venue, from the orchestra all the way up to the deepest of lawn seats, singing the entire time and occasionally stopping for a hug, a hi-five and even a photo or two.

New Jersey born and Pennsylvania raised Benjamin Burnley IV of Breaking Benjamin followed. I have never seen them before but was familiar with their music and enjoyed their performance. Lead singer and guitar player Benjamin Burnley sounded great and belted some amazing rock and roll, mixed with the modern heavy metal screams to complete their unique sound. Many know that Burnley has a recurring illness (Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome), which is an acute brain disorder resulting from a lack of thiamine. This essential vitamin changes sugar into energy. When you have too little thiamine, your brain doesn’t have enough energy to work properly. The most common cause of thiamine deficiency is chronic alcohol use which in his case, almost ended his career. Burnley plays in the dark or without spot light or bright flashing lights in front of him due to the sensitivity of how his illness affects him. None-the-less, he doesn’t perform like he has a lack of anything and certainly not energy. Burnley played for an hour, spoke to the audience often and seemed grateful to be in front of his adoring fans, all of whom he defines as his home crowd. The band is comprised of Benjamin Burnley (lead vocals & rhythm guitar), Jasen Rauch (lead guitar & electronic strings), Keith Wallen (rhythm guitar & backing vocals), Aaron Bruch (bass & backing vocals), and Shaun Foist (drums & electronic percussion). They completely rocked the house and were a perfect tee-up for Alice In Chains.

Alice In Chains (AIC) then finally came to stage to finish out the night and were AWESOME! I’ve been a big Alice In Chains fan but unfortunately have never had the opportunity to see the original front man and co-founder of the band Layne Staley perform before his passing. To this day he lives on as any alternative rock station will play AIC with Layne’s vocals. However, I must say the band has come together wonderfully and filled a tough seat in Layne Staley with new front man William DuVall. Since 2006, DuVall has fronted Alice In Chains, sharing vocals and guitar with co-founding member Jerry Cantrell on three albums following the death of Layne Staley in 2002. Original AIC band member and co-founder Jerry Cantrell said about DuVall when hiring him that he already knew DuVall and told him to just be himself rather than emulating Staley. Jerry highlighted that Alice In Chains was always better with two vocals supporting each other, so they worked well with DuVall and it was apparent. Not only do they sound similar but DuVall also brings a new look and feel while still maintaining the bands hard alternative rock image. I loved the show and the performance as they played throughout the night. Gavin Rossdale of Bush returned the favor and joined AIC on stage for “Man in the Box” as the show wound down to its conclusion.