Camden, NJ – Opening the evening was Kami Kehoe, who had the unenviable task of taking the stage while daylight was still hanging over the venue. Rather than treating the early slot like an obligation, Kehoe attacked it with the confidence of an artist who understands that an opening set is an audition in front of thousands. Her sound carried a contemporary alternative-rock edge, mixing muscular guitars with a pop-aware sense of melody. Songs including “PSYCHO,” “Something in the Water,” “UR GONE” and “Dopamine” established the emotional and sonic foundation for the night. Kehoe’s set was short, but she made the most of it. There was a sense that the audience was being introduced to an artist who could eventually find herself much higher on a bill like this.
If Kami Kehoe warmed up the crowd, STARSET transported it somewhere else entirely. The band’s combination of cinematic electronics, crushing guitars and science-fiction-inspired presentation has always made them an unusual fit within conventional rock lineups, and their Camden performance demonstrated exactly why they have cultivated such a devoted following.
Opening with “p a r a d 0 x 1 c,” STARSET quickly moved through “Carnivore,” “Brave New World,” “Monster” and “SILOS” before closing with the inevitable crowd favorite, “My Demons. The contrast between the band’s atmospheric electronics and enormous guitar tones gave the evening its first genuinely theatrical moment. The audience wasn’t simply watching a rock band, STARSET created an environment. And for those who arrived early enough to see them, their performance was arguably one of the evening’s biggest surprises.
By the time Chevelle took the stage, the sun had disappeared and the Pavilion had transformed into the kind of dark, imposing room their music demands. Pete Loeffler and company wasted little time getting down to business. “Family System” immediately established the mood before the band launched into a compact set that leaned heavily on the songs that have made Chevelle one of alternative metal’s most enduring acts, “Self Destructor,” “Vitamin R (Leading Us Along),” “Face to the Floor” and “The Clincher” landed with the kind of blunt-force impact that has defined Chevelle for more than two decades. Then came the heavy hitters “Send the Pain Below” generated one of the night’s biggest singalongs, while “Comfortable Liar” and “The Red” reminded everyone just how effectively Chevelle can balance menace with melody. The band closed with “Mars Simula,” leaving the stage after a one-hour performance that felt considerably shorter. Chevelle’s placement on the bill may have technically made them an opener, but their performance felt much closer to a co-headlining appearance. Their catalog is simply too deep to be contained by the traditional opening-band role.
At approximately 9:30 p.m, the lights dropped. The reaction was immediate. Breaking Benjamin opened with “I Will Not Bow,” and from the first guitar hit, it was obvious that this wasn’t going to be a nostalgia trip disguised as a concert. This was a full-scale rock show.
“I Will Not Bow” gave way to “Until the End” and “Evil Angel,” before “Crawl” and “Red Cold River” pushed the intensity even higher. The setlist was essentially a guided tour through the band’s history, with material from We Are Not Alone, Phobia, Dear Agony, Dark Before Dawn, Ember and beyond.
The songs arrived one after another, each triggering another wave of recognition from the crowd. But the defining quality of Breaking Benjamin’s performance wasn’t simply the strength of the catalog. It was the band’s ability to make these songs feel immediate. There was no sense that the band was simply replaying old material for an audience that remembered it from another era. These songs still carry weight, and in the live setting, that weight was amplified by massive guitars, pounding drums and a crowd that seemed to know every word.
“Breath” was particularly powerful, transforming the Pavilion into one enormous chorus. Then came “Failure,” “Dance With the Devil” and finally “The Diary of Jane.” If there is a song in the Breaking Benjamin catalog designed to end a show like this, it’s “The Diary of Jane.” The opening riff was enough to send the crowd into overdrive, and by the final notes, thousands of voices were competing with the band for control of the song. They never really had a chance.
What made the Camden performance work so well was the way the lineup built throughout the evening. Kami Kehoe provided the introduction. STARSET expanded the sonic palette. Chevelle brought decades of experience and a catalog filled with alternative-rock staples. Then Breaking Benjamin took everything that had come before and turned the volume, emotion and spectacle all the way up.It was also a reminder that the modern rock audience hasn’t abandoned the songs that defined its formative years. If anything, the response suggested that these songs have become more meaningful with time.
At Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, nostalgia wasn’t the point.Connection was and for several hours on the Camden waterfront, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, STARSET and Kami Kehoe gave thousands of fans exactly what they came for: loud guitars, enormous choruses, dark melodies and the unmistakable feeling of being surrounded by people who know every word. For a genre that has spent years being declared dead, rock music sounded remarkably alive in Camden.
