David Draiman Gets Emotional During Disturbed Show Talking About Struggling with Depression & Addiction
David Draiman took a moment during Disturbed’s May 4 show in Milwaukee to get emotional and personal with the crowd about his struggles with depression and addiction.
In the fan-shot footage below, Draiman is seen wiping his eyes and gathering himself before delivering a moving speech that ties into Disturbed’s 2018 song “A Reason to Fight.”
The frontman says, “A reason to fight. We all need one. The demons that are known as addiction and depression are very, very real. They are diseases no different than cancer. You can’t see depression. You can’t see addiction. It festers inside. It metastasizes, takes over your body and mind, your soul.”
He continues, “And I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of losing everybody I love to depression and addiction. Every single band member on this stage has dealt with those feelings, with those demons. And I miss the friends that we’ve lost. I miss Chester [Bennington], I miss Scott [Weiland], I miss Chris [Cornell]. And if I can be completely honest with you, a couple months ago, I almost joined them.”
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Draiman adds, “Addiction and depression can happen to anyone ladies and gentlemen. No one is immune from it, no matter how beautiful their life may look from the outside, no matter how blessed they may seem. It’s out of our control.”He closes by asking the fans to raise their hand if they have dealt with depression or addiction or know someone who has. The video then pans the crowd where you see nearly every single fan raising their hand.
“As you can see, my friends, you are not alone,” says Draiman in closing.
Disturbed is currently on tour with their next show taking place tomorrow (May 12) in Abbotsford, BC. The band is taking a two month break from touring, but returns for a run of U.S. tour dates on July 11 in Denver. A full list of upcoming Disturbed tour dates is below.
Disturbed – 2023 “Take Back Your Life” North American Tour Dates
5/12 – Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Centre +
7/11 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena # ~
7/13 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre # ~
7/15 – Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater # ~
7/16 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre # ~
7/18 – Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre # ~
7/20 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre # ~
7/22 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre # ~
7/23 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater # ~
7/25 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion # ~
7/27 – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion # ~
7/29 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP # ~
7/31 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion # ~
8/01 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre # ~
8/03 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre # ~
8/05 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
8/07 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek # ~
8/09 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live # ~
8/11 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center ~
8/12 – Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview # ~
8/15 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center # ~
8/18 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center ~
8/19 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater # ~
8/21 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion # ~
8/23 – Gilford, NH – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion # ~
8/26 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake # ~
8/27 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center # ~
8/29 – Maryland Heights, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre # ~
8/30 – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre # ~
9/01 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre # ~
9/02 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center # ~
+ Special guest: Theory Of A Deadman
# Special guest: Breaking Benjamin
~ Special guest: JINJER
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