Sweet moment lead singer of heavy metal band Disturbed STOPS his performance to comfort a crying little girl – who was left terrified when he invited her to join him on stage
The lead singer of heavy metal band Disturbed slammed on the brakes during a live performance to comfort a young girl who had burst into tears.
David Draiman, 50, brought things to a halt at the band’s Aug. 3 concert in West Palm Beach, Florida, to address a young fan who stood in the front row right behind the barricades after noting that she was upset.
The moment was documented in a video uploaded to Reddit’s r/HumansBeingBros forum while a user, claiming to have been present, provided context.
They wrote, “What happened was the little girl sang all the lyrics and David invited her to come on stage with him and she freaked out and started screaming. He immediately stopped the show and went downstairs to talk to her.’
David Draiman, 50, brought things to a halt at the band’s Aug. 3 concert in West Palm Beach, Florida, to address a young fan who stood in the front row right behind the barricades after noting that she was upset.
He went on to state that he “absolutely loved that Disturbed concerts have become a family affair” – also noting that the girl had “sung whole show with heart and soul”
One Reddit user, who claimed to have attended, offered context about the touching moment
The post revealed that David immediately reassured the girl, who told him her name was Sophia.
‘It’s OK. It was not my intention to frighten you. Are you OK? You promise?’ he said, to which she responded with a nod.
“Oh honey, you’re making me feel awful right now,” he added, embarrassed.
He then turned to the audience and said, “See, I think it’s great, absolutely great, that Disturbed concerts have become a family affair. I love it.
And this little girl sang with heart and soul the whole show. She knows so many songs,” he continued, adding that his nine-year-old son was also watching the performance.
What’s the worst thing a child can experience? A little blasphemy? We live in a world where there are so many more despicable and ugly things than blasphemy,” he emphasized to loud cheers.
He then emphasized the ‘shared humanity’ of the concertgoers.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from or who you are. We all came here tonight for the same reason. We all came here tonight because the world is hard. Life is hard. And you come here to take up and lay down your burdens!” he declared.
David then turned back to Sophia and said, “Besides, honey, we may be dark. But let me share a secret with you. Sometimes darkness can show you the light’
Commentators voiced their support for the Disturbed frontman – citing how ‘nice’ the wider metalhead community tends to get past their hard outer shell
He concluded by turning back to Sophia and saying, “Besides, honey, we may be dark. But let me share a secret with you. Sometimes darkness can show you the light.’
And viewers quickly flocked to the comment section to share their thoughts on the touching moment.
“Disturbed are a bunch of sane metal dads. They are the best,” enthused one commenter.
David Draiman is a class act. Not only does he have one of the best voices ever, but he is also a very thoughtful and sweet person. Watch his interviews. He’s just like that,’ a fan of the band chimed in.
‘ echoed another, ‘David is a nice, nice man. Because of him, Disturbed is one of my favorite groups.’
Even more recognized the singer’s gesture as an accurate reflection of the metal community as a whole.
“Metal heads are usually the nicest people ever,” one pointed out.
Another agreed: “The metal community as a whole is very healthy, just don’t tell anyone.”
“David is a BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL man. Disturbed is one of my favorite groups thanks to him,” wrote a commenter from the band’s frontman
At a Disturbed concert in Milwaukee in May 2023, David delivered another poignant speech discussing the twin epidemics of addiction and depression.
“The demons known as addiction and depression are very, very real,” he began. “You can’t see depression, you can’t see addiction. It proliferates inside, it spreads, it takes over your body, your mind, your soul.’
He followed that up by citing Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, Velvet Revolver’s Scott Weiland, and Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell as “friends we’ve lost” to these illnesses.
Chester and Chris took their own lives within months of each other in 2017, while Scott died of a drug overdose in 2015.
“And if I might be completely honest with you,” David continued in his address to the audience in Milwaukee, “I almost joined them a few months ago.”
He reminded the crowd that “addiction and depression can happen to anyone… no one is immune to them, no matter how beautiful their lives look on the outside.”
The frontman then asked the audience “by a show of hands” how many of them had dealt with addiction and/or depression or knew someone who has – before the camera panned to reveal nearly every hand.
Disturbed has a long history in the metal scene, originating in Chicago in 1994 with David at the helm.
Their 2000 hit single Down with the Sickness was the group’s first work to go platinum.