Breaking Benjamin headlining tour at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Breaking Benjamin hit the audience in the gut with the melodic but muscular “Failure” as it kicked off the latest leg of its tour at the Wind Creek Event Center on March 21.

The crowd, which was singing along with each of the anthemic post-grunge tunes, was multigenerational. It’s surprising until you do the math.

Breaking Benjamin formed a quarter century ago.

“Time flies,” vocalist-guitarist Benjamin Burnley said while calling from Richmond, Va. “The cool thing is that we have a wide range of fans. Those who were into us back in the day have passed along our music to their kids. The fans from the early days will come up to me and say, ‘I saw you in 2005,’ and it’s hard to believe that much time has passed.”

Breaking Benjamin has released six albums and touched on each of those projects in the Bethlehem concert. The hard-hitting band out of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., delivers powerful and meaningful rock. The tour will swing through the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids on April 5.

Part of the fun with the current tour is that Breaking Benjamin — which also includes guitarists Keith Wallen and Jasen Rauch, bassist Aaron Bruch and drummer Shaun Foist — is dusting off tunes the band hasn’t played in years.

The band’s canon is deep and the vibes among the musicians are immaculate. The original band broke up in 2011. Breaking Benjamin re-emerged in 2014 with Burnley but he has been flanked by a new lineup that has been intact for a decade.

Burnley doesn’t have to do as much heavy lifting with Breaking Benjamin 2.0. Wallen and Bruch are capable vocalists and are solid songwriters.

“So much has been better the second time around,” Burnley said. “I don’t have to do everything anymore. It’s nice to write a part of a song as opposed to an entire song. I don’t have to do it all.”

Wallen, an emerging singer/songwriter, will perform April 26 at the Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon in Iowa City. He will showcase his solo album, “Infinity Now,” which drops May 3. The West Virginia native impressed with his solid 2021 solo release, “This World or the Next.”

“I’m passionate about writing songs,” Wallen said by phone from Erie, Pa. “It’s just what I love to do.”

Burnley enjoys having a number of creatives in the group.

“It’s all better with the guys who are in this band now,” he said.

That’s no surprise, since Burnley went to court with two of his ex-bandmates, guitarist Adam Fink and bassist Mark Klepaski, over who has the rights to the name “Breaking Benjamin.”

“That was bizarre, since I was fighting over my own name,” Burnley said.

Breaking Benjamin still delivers songs influenced by such grunge titans as Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam.

“I still love all of those bands,” Burnley said. “I idolized Kurt Cobain.”

The joy Breaking Benjamin rocks with is palpable. It’s evident how connected the band is throughout the show.

“We get along well,” Burnley said. “It’s good to be friends first. It sets everything up. I’m more relaxed working with my bandmates, and that helps with my songwriting and when we perform. There’s no tension. To be able to have a great relationship with musicians who are this talented is amazing.”

It’s been a strong run for Breaking Benjamin, which has sold more than 19 million albums. Three of the band’s albums have gone platinum and the group has two gold records and several singles that have gone multiplatinum.

“It’s great to connect with the fans, since they are the ones who support us,” Burnley added. “We wouldn’t have this success without them. We love that they still come out.”

The range of fans singing along to Breaking Benjamin’s bangers runs from teens to seniors.

“Seeing that is the coolest thing imaginable,” Burnley said.