Breaking Benjamin and Staind Sell Out the Stir Cove

June 1, 2025 Robert Chadwick Concert Reviews Comments Off

PAM WHISENHUNT | Go Venue Magazine

On one of the hottest days this year, Breaking Benjamin and Staind arrived in Council Bluffs, Iowa, bringing the Awaken the Fallen tour to the Stir Cove on May 31st, 2025. The sold-out show included metalcore giants Wage War and emerging country-rockers Lakeview.

Lakeview certainly got the party started with their high energy, blue-collar country rock music. I was impressed with how well they engaged spectators. Jesse Denaro and Luke Healy had the crowd jumpin’ and pumping their fists the whole set. They connected with the masses singing songs “everyone can relate to”; working hard, waiting till payday, trucks breaking down and talking about the good ole days. Halfway through the set, Lakeview played the heaviest song in their catalog, “Money Where Your Mouth Is”, which was written with Wage War’s Cody Quistad. They also covered Hinder’s “Lips of an Angel”. Overall, I was really impressed with how rock forward their sound was. It was a great fit for this tour lineup.

Wage War was next up. Wage War had the heaviest set of the night by far. I was hoping they’d open with “The Show’s About To Start” from their most recent album, Stigma, but they didn’t. They kicked off with NAIL5, which was a formidable alternative. Wage War played three other songs from the Stigma album “BLUR”, “TOMBSTONE”, and “HAPPY HUNTING” along with five others from earlier albums. The set was fast and heavy, only slowing slightly for “Circle the Drain”.

Staind took the stage as the sun started setting. I thought we might get some rain, but it held off, and we’re treated to a nice breeze instead. Staind played a full 15 song set, pulling from across their catalog spanning 26 years. Staind kept a similar set list, video graphics, and stage show as their previous visit in 2023, with the only change being the addition of “Better Days.” Staind recorded a version of “Better Days” with Dorothy in 2024. Aaron Lewis (lead vocals/guitar) gave a little background on a few songs like “Paper Wings” being about founding member and former drummer Jon Wysocki and several songs happening by accident like “Outside” and “So Far Away”. Overall, the crowd loved Staind singing along to all the songs, filling in the choruses and several people screaming “I love you!” during the set.

Finishing the night was Breaking Benjamin. Breaking Benjamin also had a very similar set as their Omaha show in 2024. They added their newest single “Awaken”, but the biggest change in the show was the addition of frontman Benjamin Burnley’s son Ben. Ben has joined the band on stage in the past, but only for a song (or two). This night, he was on stage for the entire set, playing guitar, singing, and delivering his best screams. Burnley said it was “on the job training” night. Burnley also told us to listen closely to the end of the song “Awaken” as his son Ben sings on the end of it. Towards the end of the night, Lacey Sturm of Flyleaf joined Breaking Benjamin on stage to sing “Dear Agony”. I was not expecting that one. Breaking Benjamin always puts on a solid hard rock set filled with hits and typically throws in a surprise or two. They never disappoint.