DISTURBED's MIKE WENGREN Says Opening For IRON MAIDEN In Mexico Was 'A Bucket List' Experience

In a recent interview with the Milwaukee radio station 102.9 The HOG, DISTURBED drummer Mike Wengren spoke about what it was like for him and his bandmates to open for IRON MAIDEN on November 20, 2024 in Mexico City. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was a bucket list [experience]. It was amazing. We've got to play with so many of the legends [over the course of our career], and that was one of the few left, honestly. So, to be able to cap that off and then roll into [the DISTURBED headlining tour celebrating] 25 years [of the band's debut album, 'The Sickness' in 2025] is pretty awesome."

Regarding how DISTURBED ended up landing the support slot for IRON MAIDEN in Mexico, Mike said: "We're in the middle of doing all kinds of stuff. We've been playing a handful of shows. We've actually been in the studio working on new music. No updates with that yet. It's still in the process. We had small windows, so we try to take advantage of it when we can. But we get an e-mail from management and they're, like, 'Hey, guess what? IRON MAIDEN just called and wanted to know if you wanna play Mexico City.' We're, like, 'Uh, yeah. I guess we'll put everything else on hold. Let's go.' I mean, that was a no-brainer."

 Wengren also talked about DISTURBED's interactions with the members of MAIDEN, saying: "We got to talk to Bruce [Dickinson, MAIDEN singer], actually, at the hotel. We were there for a few days earlier and they showed up. Me and Dan [Donegan, DISTURBED guitarist] were actually sitting at the hotel bar just having a drink and he walks in, and we're, like, 'Whoa, there he is. Oh my god.' And then he comes up and he's, like, 'Hey, how are you guys doing?' We were trying not to fanboy."

Last October, DISTURBED announced the 34-date "The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour", which will kick off in Nampa, Idaho on February 25, 2025 and is produced by Live Nation. The tour celebrates 25 years of DISTURBED's seminal debut album which launched the band into public consciousness and is one of the most important and influential heavy metal albums of all time. Each night will feature two sets of music, opening with DISTURBED playing the five times platinum "The Sickness" in full, followed by a full set of greatest hits. The first half of the tour will feature support from special guests THREE DAYS GRACE, featuring the return of original singer Adam Gontier, and opener SEVENDUST, and the second half will feature special guests DAUGHTRY with opener NOTHING MORE.

Since "The Sickness" was released in 2000, the album was certified five times platinum by the RIAA, spent a total of 106 weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart, and Revolver named it one of "Top 25 Debut Hard Rock Albums." Billboard said of the title track upon release: "'Down With The Sickness' is, of course, the quintessential DISTURBED song, harnessing all the band's seethe and its now-famous tribal beat and guitar chug into three and a half minutes of alt-metal mayhem. It's menacing, it's rhythmic, it's rebellious."

Emerging out of Chicago at the turn of the century with an insidious, infectious, and inimitable vision without comparison, DISTURBED have quietly dominated hard rock on their own terms. They make the kind of music that pushes you to hold on tighter, fight harder, and persevere forever. It's why they've claimed a place at the forefront of 21st century rock with record-breaking success, sales of over 17 million-plus units, nearly 8 billion streams, and sold out shows around the globe. The band have six RIAA album certifications, and singles from all eight albums have reached the top ten of the Mainstream Rock chart.

The two-time Grammy Award-nominated quartet have notched five consecutive #1 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 for "Believe", "Ten Thousand Fists", "Indestructible" and "Asylum", occupying rarified air alongside METALLICA — the only other hard rock group to accomplish this feat. Since their influential five-times-platinum debut "The Sickness" in 2000, they have built a bulletproof catalog highlighted by a procession of smashes, including the platinum "Stupify", "Inside The Fire" and "Land of Confusion", two-times-platinum "Stricken", six-times-platinum "Down With The Sickness" and seven-times-platinum "The Sound Of Silence", to name a few. The latter notably received a Grammy Award nomination in the category of "Best Rock Performance" as the band earned "Best Rock Artist" at the 2017 iHeartRadioMusic Awards. Still, DISTURBED never stop, and their most recent 2022 album "Divisive" featured their 17th No. 1 at Rock Radio "Hey You", "Unstoppable" and more.