It was Friday night, and the weather was good — the same weekend as the world-known annual Balloon Fest in Albuquerque, New Mexico. But hardcore fans were gathering on the other side of town to hear Breaking Benjamin. It was near the end of their tour, but the energy was real, and fans filled the amphitheater. They brought with them two killer bands to share the celebration: Three Days Grace and Return to Dust.
Return to Dust is a rock band from Los Angeles. They’ve only been around since 2023, but they play like they’ve been around a lot longer. They have strong riffs and perfect drumming, and you cannot argue with their lyrics and message. I had no idea who they were until they hit the stage, and I wanted to stay in the pit to continue listening to them, but I knew we had some masters coming up after them and needed to be ready for them.
With an album and two EP’s this band is not letting grass grow under their feet. Their first EP was released in 2023, titled The Black Road, followed by their first album released in 2024, Return to Dust. In August 2025, they released their latest EP, Speak Like the Dead. They opened their show with “Black Road” from their Return to Dust album. It was followed by “Shine” from the newly released Speak Like the Dead album. “New Religion” from the same album rounded out a great mix of what they are all about.
I feel we will see a lot more of Return to Dust soon. They have had a busy year, and it looks like next year so far will be a great year for them. I know I am going to look for them to return to New Mexico. Here are a few of their links you can follow:
Three Days Grace, coming to us from Canada, were originally known as Groundswell, but in 1997, after doing some regrouping, they went with Three Days Grace. Original lead singer Adam Gontier left the band in 2013, but returned in 2024. While not wanting to push Matt Walst out of the lead singer spot, they now co-lead sing. The two complement each other in their singing ability, which has since helped cement their popularity at each concert.
Gontier and Walst are supported by a dynamic team of bassist Brad Walst, Matt’s older brother and drummer Niel Sanderson, and guitarist Barry Stock. Gontier, Brad Walst, and Sanderson are the original members of the band, with Matt Walst and Barry Stock added later. This post-grunge hard rock band was once mistaken to be a Christian rock band, which could not be further from the truth, but it didn’t make them want to change their name. Since the summer of 2025, Three Days Grace has had 19 No. 1 hits on the Mainstream Rock Charts since the beginning of charting their songs.
They opened their performance with “Animal I Have Become,” followed by “So Called Life,” then “Break.” A crowd of close to 15,000 people sang along with each of their favorite songs.The night was full of one greatest hit after another. Seventeen songs were performed — they even did a cover of Alice in Chains’ “Rooster,” with the crowd’s cellphones swaying in the air and chants of the song as Gontier, guitar in hand, held the crowd in a moment in time. They finished their time on stage with, “Riot.”
If you have lived under a rock all your life or are now just hearing about Three Days Grace, look up these links and join the Alienation:
Breaking Benjamin was born out of the steel country of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1999 by Benjamin Burnley as lead singer and Jeremy Hummel, drummer, who left in 2005. The current lineup has been the same since 2013, and so many of their successes have been on the shoulders of the current lineup. At this evening’s show, Burnley’s son joined him on stage with guitar in hand. He made some song title announcements and sang a few backup vocals.
The band has released six full albums since 2002, with the latest being Aurora in 2020. In recent years, they have been described as a post-grunge alternative rock group. They have been known to use many techniques that are used in studios to create volume or depth for songs. My feeling is that if your audience expects a certain sound, then you need to create that somehow live. The band, when it stepped on the stage, opened with their newest release single, “Awaken,” which is just the beginning of new work that is coming for their next album. Next was “Follow,” and then “Blow Me Away.” The audience was screaming, crowd surfing, and making it a party as the concert continued. The band closed the show with “The Diary of Jane.” As they finished, the crowd kept asking for more. I believe all 15,000 attending stayed until the bitter end.
The concert was one of two or three shows before the end of the tour, but I would look forward to the surprises we can expect to see in the coming year. I would suggest following these links so you know the next time they will come to your town:
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