Staind BRINGS DOWN THE HOUSE IN GILFORD NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Bank Of New Hampshire in Gilford was ultimately blessed with the Co-Headlining show of Staind & Breaking Benjamin, with opening acts of Daughtry and Lakeview on September 18, 2024. This was the first time Breaking Benjamin and Staind have toured together since 2005! As it was the 6th show out of the 25 cities, I believe it was the most crowded and loudest so far. The fans of each band filled the amphitheater that holds 9,000 people.
As Lakeview opened, the crowd got extremely hyped, and the band played many songs including their hit single "Money Where Your Mouth Is" along with a cover of "Lips Of An Angel" by Hinder. The screaming of song lyrics got more intense during their hit single! During the show, they dedicated a song to all of the blue-collar workers, expressing their love for their hard work, and being a setting stone in the work industry.
Following Lakeview, came Daughtry. Chris Daughtry, the lead singer, was featured on American Idol in the fifth season. The band performed 9 songs, including "Over You" from their 2006 album, "Daughtry". The band played 2 cover songs, which included Deftones cover, "Change (In The House Of Flies)". As well as a Journey cover, "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart). As you looked around the crowd, you could see people belting lyrics to his music, along with a bunch of smiley faces. At this point, the crowd became louder as the minutes went by.
The anticipation grew as fans waited for Breaking Benjamin to join the stage. As you walked around the venue, many people were repping their Breaking Benjamin merch, varying from each tour they had, including this one. The band opened with the song, "Failure" from Dark Before Dawn. Thousands of fans screamed the lyrics, with the following song, "Until The End", of the "Phobia" album. Breaking Benjamin played a total of 16 songs. After the third song, Benjamin Burley, lead singer of Breaking Benjamin, took a brief stop to show his love to the fans with the Side Stage Experience. He was given bracelets, and in return, he gave a fan a guitar pick. He also took the phone of a fan to record his perspective of the stage. I bet that was an amazing memory for them! During the middle of the show, Ben said: "Does anyone have Tums? That song gave me heartburn!". The laughs were so loud, you could have heard them from 5 miles away. Fans threw various items on stage, including an empty bag(?), a mysterious bag of tums, and friendship bracelets. Ben continued by saying, "If I were to take these mysterious Tums and die, it would be your guy's fault!" as he showed a laugh. A security guard gave him a bottle of Tums, so he continued with his phenomenal set. While you looked around, many fans were singing every lyric, to every song, and some tears were shed from the emotional songs. They ended their set with the very well-known song, "The Diary Of Jane".
Before Staind came on the stage, as the final act, many people were already standing up from their seats excitedly awaiting them to arrive. Aaron Lewis, the lead singer of Staind, opened his set with "Lowest In Me" from their newest album, "Confessions Of The Fallen" which debuted September 15, 2023. Staind played a set of 15 songs, including an encore of "It's Been A While" from their 2001 album, and "Mudshovel" from the 1999 album, "Dysfunction". As the show went on, Aaron Lewis told the crowd to turn on their flashlights to "light the room up" during "Outside" of their "Break The Cycle" album. The entire amphitheater lit up as brightly as the Sirius star in the sky. As the show went on, Aaron thanked the crowd for continuing to support him during his hardest times, such as homelessness on Hampton Beach. Mike Mushok, the lead guitarist, was headbanging through the entirety of Staind's set, his long hair was flowing.
This show was one to remember, very unforgettable. Each band had a unique setlist and expressed their love of music through their singing and body expressions. Tickets are on sale for the following shows in various cities. This is not a show you want you want to miss!
