My wife and I saw Breaking Benjamin (2nd time) at Cattle Annie’s in Lynchburg, VA on 2/6/07. The first time we saw them play was at The Nation in D.C. during one of the Jagermeister tours. We liked what we saw the first time and were anticipating the second show considerably, especially since BB hadn’t yet released We Are Not Alone and Phobia the last time we saw them.
I talked to the club owner the morning of the concert and he told me the show was sold-out and that doors would open at 5:00 pm for those people who wanted to eat prior to the concert. He also said that the club had a dress code and that “Jackets wouldn’t be allowed in the building. You will have to check them at the door. Also, no hooded sweatshirts, athletic apparel, baggy jeans, or beanies. T-shirts have to be tucked in and any baseball hat had to be worn with the bill in the front.” After his dress code diatribe, I wasn’t sure if I was going to church or to a rock-n-roll show. Earlier, I was planning to wear my black hoodie, but I ditched that and ended up wearing a long sleeve t-shirt with a short sleeve t-shirt over that.
The food before the show sounded like good idea as we wouldn’t have to stop before we got there, so my wife and I took off of work early and arrived at Cattle Annie’s at 5:10 pm. When we got there, there was approximately 20-25 people in line, but the doors hadn’t opened yet. From outside we could hear the band doing a rehearsal and not a sound-check, which seemed strange since they hadn’t been on tour for three months.
At 5:30 pm it started snowing and as the sun began to set, it got extremely cold. It was worse than usual since no one was wearing a jacket. The club manager came out around 5:45 pm and said that they would not be serving any buffet and wouldn’t be opening the doors until 6:30 pm. My jaw hit the floor. We would now have to stand outside in 20 degree weather for 1.5 hours in nothing but t-shirts?!?!?! What the fuck! We begged to be let in even if we could just stand inside the restaurant, but the manager said that no one would be allowed inside until after the sound check. (It wasn’t a sound check, but a rehearsal.). The crowd outside was getting ready to riot. Most were standing there shivering to death, noses running, and faces flushed.
Around 6:15 pm the club manager again came out and said, “There won’t be a buffet, but you can get BBQ for $6.00. We’ll let you in in a couple of minutes.” I looked at my wife and gave her the I’m-fucking-pissed look. Strangely, the club manager passed out table napkins so those of us outside could blow and wipe our noses. Given that any running snot had already turned to icicles, I was more resourceful and decided to start a miniature bonfire. I took as many of the napkins as I could, rolled them up into what looked like a giant Cheech and Chong joint and lit it. Wow! What a relief! Four of us sat there roasting our fingertips over our makeshift heater. The relief lasted about two minutes, but it was better than nothing.
Apparently, time is different for the club as it was another 50 minutes(!) before they let us in the building. We stood outside for 2 fucking ours in t-shirts in 20 degree weather! It was wrong man, wrong; cruel and unusual punishment I call it.
We showed our tickets to security when we entered the club and they told us that the buffet was now available. WTF? What is wrong with these people? There was an empty table available near the front of the stage, and we grabbed that quickly. After we ate, Leo, the first band to perform, started at 8:25, nearly 45 minutes after the designated start time. However, Leo rocked the joint and sounded excellent. I was really impressed with their performance, and when they were done, I ran over to the merch booth to buy their cd. All of the members of the band were there and were very cool. They kindly autographed the cd and poster, and were more than happy to have pictures taken. My hats off to Leo; they ruled!
After Leo finished, the waitress came by our table and we complained about being outside for so long. She said it was all Breaking Benjamin’s decision, and that they had been at Cattle Annie’s since 10:00 that morning. We were shocked! She said they asked Breaking Benjamin numerous times to let people come in because “your fans are freezing to death,” but each time they said that “no one can come in until the sound check is finished.” She also said that BB sat down at 6:30 pm and had dinner, and that the club staff complained that it wasn’t right. Apparently, BB didn’t care. Of course, no one has heard BB’s side of the story and to be fair they may have a completely different story, but I for one would like to know just what the hell was going on and why didn’t someone (anyone!) stop the torture of the fans outside.
The Burden Brothers were the second band to open, and they absolutely sucked shit. My biggest complaint is the singer, who was off key and out of range for their whole set. Also, it seems like the band can’t find themselves, one moment they’re trying to be AC/DC, the next is punk rock/Primus sounding, and the rest is just plain shit. You’re not missing anything by missing the Burden Brother’s. I wasn’t the only one who felt that way either. I headed off to the bathroom in the middle of their set, and every guy in there complained about how bad The Burden Brother’s were.
After what seemed an eternity during the Brother’s set, Breaking Benjamin finally took the stage close to 11:00 pm. They were supposed to start at 9:30, but at this point I didn’t care.
The set-list was as follows:
(Synth-like introduction similar to Polyamorous intro.)
Polyamorous
Home (Excerpt from the Wizard of Oz movie prior to the song)
Shallow bay (2nd best song of the set)
Breakdown
Topless
Away
INTRO
Diary of Jane
Dance with the Devil
Until the End
Had Enough
Breath
Sooner or Later
Break My Fall (Worst song of the set)
Enjoy the Silence (Cover from Depeche Mode)
So Cold (Best song of the set)
Encore:
You
Blow Me Away
Breaking Benjamin performance was a 6.5 out of a possible 10. I had seen them before and thought they sounded better the first time, actually they rocked(!), mainly due to Ben Burnley’s energy on stage. On this night, however, Ben seemed like he didn’t want to be there; that or he was still sick. He had no energy at all and looked bored.
Best part of the night: Leo
Biggest disappointment: 2 hours outside in the cold, Ben Burnley’s lack of energy
My next concert is Friday at Jaxx Nightclub to see A Body Falls.
I’ve seen several shows at Cattle Annie’s. Its normally run like a top. I heard this was the first show for BB’s road crew.
we just saw breaking ben at penn state on sunday. they were fucking fantastic. ben was really energetic and did his best to get the crowd going. it was my third time seeing them. i had seen them at electric factory over the summer and that was, by far, the best performance.
you gotta give the guys a chance.
What do you mean I had no energy?
Obviously you’re not Ben Burnley, but to answer your question, “no energy” as in lethargic, stationary, with little audience interaction. When I saw them the first time in D.C. Breaking Benjamin rocked, even though the set was short. At the show in Lynchburg, Ben acted like there was a million other places he would have rather been. Aaron and Mark we’re having a great time it appeared, full of energy and interacting with the crowd. They did a much better job than Ben.
So you think The Burden Brothers sucked huh?! Well, you obviously don’t have good taste in music. Holla!
Im going to go see Breaking Benjamin in a couple weeks, I can’t believe they would treat their fans like that. It makes me not want to see them as much anymore
Whoa whoa whoa….. first of all break my fall is by far one of the best songs they even play… its seems like your quite, how should i put this, like a band wagon man putting the usual “so cold” as best of the set…. break my fall is incredible and when i saw them at the town ballroom in buf., ny it made me juice once or twice if i recall.. and ben had such a breath taking persona he didn’t even need to do much to get the crowd amped.. i will agree with you on one thing though… the burnley brothers blow ass and are past their prime.. beautiful night.. it shoulda been the only song they ever made…
correction on one thing… i meant burden brothers.. not burnley brothers lol
ok, first of all, im fourteen and am a rabid Breaking Benjamin fan…so that means i google them and do alllll the groupy stuff
so i was half surprised half not surprised (bad phrasing..sorry) when i read that BB kept their fans waiting for such a long time. Ben has been known to be a bit of a jack ass over the past years, but i absolutly love him because he does really love his fans!! i hope he feels better soon 
and i have to say that i really laughed at ur writing…ur pretty funny!!! thanks for posting this…u wouldnt have any pics of the concert, would u?? thanks again!!
im shocked, i saw them at asbury park, and we were let in only about 10 minutes late(which you have to expect, you cant be let in on time perfectly every single time). but, i mean, RED came out and did their thing, they were really good, seether was surprisingly good, then came breaking benjamin, who was amazing. aaron fink was pretty chill, as was mark james, but ben was a beast. he was moving with the guitar, yelling at the audience, making faces at people who werent jumping, trying to get the crowd pumped, throwing picks into the audience, throwing bottles of water into the audience(since everyone was dehydrated), stage diving(yes, stage diving…jumping into the crowd. i actually wound up with his shoe lace somehow, not that im complaining) and then getting off of stage during the drum solo and walking through the seats in the back, shaking hands with people. and then, three days grace came out, and they were really good, but breaking benjamin definitely stole the night, so im shocked that it was as bad as you claim.
That would be hilarious if the above poster “Ben Burnley” actually was Ben.
He rocks at life.
Phobia came out after We Are Not Alone dude. “especially since BB hadn’t yet released We Are Not Alone and Phobia the last time we saw them.” = not possible.
Yeah, I know this is way past the prime of this whole thing, but I came across it and got really mad. Considering Benjamin was sick at the time he was performing for you people at this show. Bad stuff happens sometimes and as for the cold, the dude had said you could check your coat at the door. Why didn’t you do that.
So, boo on you for slamming someone so badly.
And hooray for Ben Burnley for trying to keep going for the fans even though he was sick.