Awaken the Fallen Tour – Breaking Benjamin, Staind, Wage War, and Lakeview – Target Center – Minneapolis, MN – May 28th, 2025

Awaken the Fallen Tour – Breaking Benjamin, Staind, Wage War, and Lakeview – Target Center – Minneapolis, MN – May 28^th, 2025

Review and photos by Kate Klaus

The Awaken the Fallen Tour, featuring co-headliners Staind and Breaking Benjamin, with support from Wage War and Lakeview, roared through the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN on May 28^th.  This stacked line-up delivered a dynamic blend of nostalgia, raw emotion, and intense rock energy,

Lakeview opened the shows with a unique fusion of country-rock and metal, engaging the crowd with their fresh energy and blue-collar storytelling.  Duo Jesse Denaro and Luke Healy energetically deliver a fusion of country metal that is uniquely captivating, with the combination of musical influences and powerful lyrics hyping up the crowd for a great show.

Wage War was up next, with an electrifying performance and intense light show.  Lead singer Briton Bond was on fire with his metalcore intensity and deep growls and screams.  The interplay between Bond’s unclean vocals and Cody Quistad’s clean singing added depth and beauty to their performance, particularly on the beautiful and melodic “Magnetic”.  Their set was full of powerful crowd favorites, including “Blur”, “Low”, “Circle the Drain” and ending with the crowd raging to “Manic”, raising the energy even higher as the night progressed.

Co-headliners Staind were up next, with Aaron Lewis delivering a mix of the classic favorites like “It’s Been Awhile” and “So Far Away”. While he performed with a somewhat stoic affect and melancholy emotion during the powerful vocals, this was contrasted by guitarist Mike Mushok and bassist Johnny April who were thrashing and rocking, and many times were displaying huge smiles and clearly enjoying the energy of the room. The beautiful and haunting imagery projected on the screens behind the band added to the dark mood.  They played a mix of older favorites as well as racks from their newer album Confessions of the Fallen, including “Lowest in Me” and “Paper Wings,” (dedicated to former drummer Jon Wysocki who died just over a year ago), blending their classic sound with recent material. They closed their set with “Mudshovel” to end a great performance.

Breaking Benjamin closed the night with a commanding performance filled with raw energy and power.  Lead singer Benjamin Burnley’s emotive vocals and the band’s technically layered sound was paired with unparalleled emotion, and it was evident how well they connected with the crowd during the many moments of sing-along and wild enthusiasm.  Guitarist’s Ketih Wallen and Jasen Rauch provided great riffs, and drummer Shaun Foist and bassist Aaron Bruch had the entire arena pounding with deep and heavy rhythms. They performed so many favorites, including heavier  “Dance with the Devil” and “Awaken,” and the more emotionally moving and melodic “Until the End” and “Without You”.  They delivered a stacked set, with a mix of newer material, but filled with so many powerful favorites from their catalogue.  They closed the night with an intense sing-along to “I Will not Bow” and “The Diary of Jane”, closing an intensely powerful night of heavy rock and emotion with an unforgettable performance.