Easily one of the most highly anticipated tours of 2026, Breaking Benjamin make their triumphant return to the UK after nine long years. A long time may have elapsed, but the band and the audience still sing their hearts out like it’s 2006, perhaps with a larger group but still with all the same ferocity and passion of youth that permeates their being. Chevelle and Return to Dust acted as support.
First up was Return to Dust, a lesser known band to the citizens of Manchester, which meant they stood to gain more as there were no expectations. Even though no one had any real expectations, the crowd were massively impressed by Return to Dust‘s collection of chugs inspired by Alice in Chains and dual vocal duty from Matty Bielawski and Graham Stanush. Despite the obvious comparisons to AIC, Return to Dust sounded fresh and interesting without coming off derivative. This is a band that has done their homework and changed it up just enough.
The bass was absolutely punishing at the very start of the show and drowned out the rest of the mix, but this was quickly rectified as a pummelling collection of grungy riffs were unleashed, like the bouncy ‘Belly Up’ and the bleak ‘Sweet Escape’. There was even a dour cover of Outkast‘s ‘Hey Ya’ to really capture the millennial attention that infested this space. Highly recommended if you like the heavier side of grunge, like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, but with a bit of a modern spin.
Next up was Chevelle, another band that hadn’t played Manchester for a while and, for some, were the main reason to attend this absolutely packed show. Chevelle are a cornerstone of early 2000s extreme sports video game soundtracks and screaming “you’re not my real dad” before slamming the door and chugging a Mountain Dew, but you’d never be able to tell with how subtle and understated their stage presence was. The band were still active and engaging, but they really let the music speak for itself as the crowd went absolutely mental for eternal classics like ‘The Red’ and the beatdown intensity of ‘Face to the Floor’.
There was a solid mixture of high-octane ragers and Deftones-esque vibe songs like ‘Send the Pain Below’, which was a surprise considering my understanding of Chevelle was that they made nu-metal style fight music. Chevelle has been a blind spot in my music taste, and this show has shown me the error of my ways.
Finally, Breaking Benjamin hit the stage with the grand and sweeping declaration “I WILL NOT BOW, I WILL NOT BREAK” as the crowd lost its collective mind, getting to scream these words together for the first time in nine years. The band was on fire, and Ben Burnley sounded just as good as he did 20 years ago when Phobia dropped, while the backing vocals from his son, Ben Jr, filled out the higher register and gave it some extra depth. Even though he’s only ten years old, he’s already learned some of his old man’s tricks as he grasped the mic with the professionalism that some people spend years developing.
Breaking Benjamin‘s set wasn’t mired by the need to play many brand new tracks and stuck mainly to fan favourites like the anthemic sing-alongs of ‘Failure’, ‘Breath’ and the glorious declaration of anguish that is ‘Dear Agony’, a track that has been prominent in my life for many years. You’d be hard pressed to find many bona fide classics that were missed in this set, with the icy tones of ‘So Cold’ cooling down the absolutely boiling Warehouse we were all wedged into together. The set continued with most of the energy coming from the audience as the band stayed mostly static and low-key, letting the music speak for itself. The audience sang every word, and wild, unhinged screams could be heard at the start of every single song, with ‘Until the End’, ‘Dance with the Devil’, ‘Evil Angel’ and ‘Fallen’ showing just how dedicated Manchester truly could be.
The highlight for so many gamers in the audience was ‘Blow Me Away’, a song that helped solidify Master Chief himself as a legendary figure in gaming, with the help of Breaking Benjamin‘s bombastic riffing and wailing declaration that “ONLY THE STRONGEST WILL SURVIVE”, a fact that anyone who has attempted to beat any of the Halo games on Legendary will be all too familiar with.
The show ended with the eternal classic of sorrowful yearning, ‘The Diary of Jane’. It’s now a masterpiece that has earned its place in the pantheon, and the crowd came to terms with the fact that they had witnessed history as Breaking Benjamin once again found their place in the Diary of Manchester.
Breaking Benjamin don’t play the UK often, so it’s a rare treat to experience a band of this calibre performing to an adoring audience of such dedicated and passionate fans who sang almost every word. With any luck, they’ll be back soon in an even bigger venue, because it was made abundantly clear by the instant sell out after an upgrade that the demand is there and can only be fulfilled by a full arena tour.
