Concert review: Breaking Benjamin w/ Kami Kehoe, Starset & Chevelle | 09.25.26, Hollywood Casino Amphitheater (with photo gallery)

Photo of Benjain Burnley of Breaking Benjamin by Pariss Brown

It can feel daunting to be staring down the lens at a four-set show—it can feel monotonous if the bands are too close in sound and can feel broken if they don’t mesh well enough for people to enjoy the opener. Stacking up openers is a skill—and someone here has it.

First up, Kami Kehoe. She opened her set annihilating the drums: Kehoe is a multi-instrumentalist and singer, but her first instrument was the drums. You can tell she loves to blend in her drum playing whenever she can because she loves it, but she doesn’t miss on her other instruments either. Her stage presence was pure adrenaline and rock n’ roll, her sound included those as well as some alt-pop touches. She controlled the stage, had great vocals, and was a great first act of the night.

Next, Starset. Starset was on the radar, The Arts STL reviewed them when they came through in 2024, and their stage setup was incredible then. I had high hopes—and that ceiling was absolutely shattered. Starset has reinvented their entire set theme and setup completely, so I was treated to a new experience. The musicians wore futuristic, apocalyptic, all-white plaster suits complete with full face masks with glowing red accents. The instruments on stage included a violin and cello, which was so incredibly cool. The characters they created—mesmerizing. I felt like I could feel them watching me as they played, but the lack of features made them seem almost animatronic. The vocalist Dustin Bates wore a long black hooded robe with a gray metal facemask that was reminiscent of the Grim Reaper and a knight. He later reappeared in normal street clothes to sing more. (I reckon it gets pretty hot in those suits.) The LED screens were huge and played a huge part in making the place look like we were witnessing a concert on another planet. Their theatrics and visuals were incredible—they really put on a production. Their songs explore everything sci-fi and otherworldly, as the stage setup would suggest.  The entire crowd seemed so engaged and impressed, and who could blame them? I was so blown away by them—I can’t wait to see them headline.

Last opener of the night: Chevelle. Chevelle shows up in a completely different way than Starset. Chevelle prides themselves on being to the point and lyrically driven without the bells and whistles. I saw it referred to as “office metal”—it’s clean cut and here to get the job done. Vocalist Pete Loeffler had arguably some of the best vocals out of the night’s bands and their simple (compared to Starset) LEDs were really well done—at one point, they had tall humanoid figures lined on screens that look ominous. Chevelle reminds you of old-school garage bands, dad rock, and punk. Chevelle has been around the block a few times—Pete and Sam Loeffler are no strangers to the alt-rock scene, having toured since 1998. You can tell these guys are seasoned—their sound is tight and controlled while still retaining classic grit. I wouldn’t mind catching these guys on a headliner either.

Our final act, our headliner: the one, the only Breaking Benjamin. These guys are classics in the alt-rock and alt-metal scenes, and they became mainstream with successes like “Diary of Jane” in 2006. Their opening visuals were so incredibly clever—it showed a Microsoft XP monitor that then opened LimeWire and started to download their songs complete with all the sound bites the process provided. “I Will Not Bow” played from the speakers before the band kicked in live. Great way to know your audience—the millennial punks. Breaking Benjamin has remained consistent throughout the years but added a new drummer (Brian Medeiros) this year. He is SO fun and energetic, he really fit into the band while still capturing his own audience. The crowd was electric at that point—diehards that had been waiting all night for this moment threw up their hands. The crowd’s energy was so great and that always makes any show better. Breaking Benjamin is a show you can go to thinking you don’t know them well and won’t have anything in common with anyone—they bring in so many different people. Considering they have been touring since 2002, I think they have a lesson to teach along with Chevelle on not just staying relevant, but continuing to grow. | Pariss Brown

Kami Kehoe setlist:
Psycho
Something in the Water
Fade Out
Dirty
The End
Love

Starset setlist:
p a r a d 0 x 1 c
Carnivore
Brave New World
Monster
SIL0S
a n n 1 h 1 l a t 1 0 n
TokSik
My Demons

Chevelle setlist:
Family System
Self Destructor
Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)
Pale Horse
An Island
Joyride (Omen)
Face to The Floor
The Clincher
Send the Pain Below
Comfortable Liar
The Red
Mars Simula

Breaking Benjamin setlist:
I Will Not Bow
Until the End
Evil Angel
Crawl
Red Cold River
Blow Me Away
Follow
Angels Fall
You
So Cold
Polyamorous
Dear Agony
Something Wicked
Breath
Awaken
Failure
Dance With the Devil
The Diary of Jane