In a full-circle moment for a band that once had to “knock doors down” just to be heard, Chicago’s own Disturbed was officially inducted into the Illinois Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on Sunday night. During the ceremony at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, members of the multi-platinum rock band reflected on their incredible journey from a public storage unit to global stardom, a path forged by a “South Side outcast” mentality.
Accepting the prestigious hometown honor, guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer Mike Wengren delivered heartfelt speeches, thanking their families, their crew, and the fans who supported them from the very beginning.
Dan Donegan said:
“It’s been a great honor. We’ve come a long way from playing in a public storage unit back in the ’90s and playing all the great bars — anyone who’d let us play, from Champs to Sidetracked to J.J. Kelley’s. And Frank [Mastalerz, who inducted the band] would always be there from the beginning promoting and supporting all local, original bands and still keeping it alive to this day. But thank you all, thank you to our families, our kids who were a big part of this journey and the sacrifices to allow us to go out on the road and do what we do. And my brothers David [Draiman], Mike [Wengren], John [Moyer], who’s in Texas right now, and Fuzz [Steve Kmak], our original bass player. Jeff Battaglia, our former manager. And Q Prime, who we are with now. Thank you very much, guys. What a great honor.”
Mike Wengren added:
“I just wanna say thanks to my kids, our kids, our families, especially the ones that can’t be here tonight. Without all of our dedicated fans, we wouldn’t be here, especially here in Illinois, Chicago, South Side. And, hey, just for the record, we did wanna perform tonight, but they told us we couldn’t ’cause they were worried we were gonna burn their banners down too.”
Wengren‘s humorous closing remark was a reference to reports that the band’s pyrotechnics had previously caused damage to the Chicago Bulls’ championship banners at the United Center.
The honor is a powerful vindication for a band that fought an uphill battle in the Chicago music scene of the 1990s. In a past interview with the Chicago Tribune, Donegan described their early struggles. “The South Side bands were more of the outcasts,” he said. “That gave us more of a reason to not just push open doors, but knock them down to be heard and taken seriously. We weren’t really welcomed into clubs like the Metro and Double Door. So we made a name for ourselves in clubs like Sidetracked.”
That “South Side” work ethic, which involved making their own flyers and handing out cassette tapes at concerts, ultimately paid off. The induction into their home state’s Hall of Fame comes as the band is in the midst of a massive global tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their seminal, multi-platinum debut album, The Sickness.
Disturbed upcoming shows:
- September 28, 2025 – Copenhagen, Denmark (Royal Arena) w/ Megadeth
- October 1, 2025 – Düsseldorf, Germany (PSD Bank Dome) w/ Megadeth
- October 3, 2025 – Stuttgart, Germany (Schleyerhalle) w/ Megadeth
- October 4, 2025 – Zürich, Switzerland (Hallenstadion) w/ Megadeth
- October 6, 2025 – Budapest, Hungary (László Papp Budapest Sports Arena) w/ Megadeth
- October 7, 2025 – Prague, Czechia (O2 Arena) w/ Megadeth
- October 10, 2025 – Kraków, Poland (Tauron Arena Krakow) w/ Megadeth
- October 12, 2025 – Paris, France (Zenith) w/ Megadeth
- October 14, 2025 – Amsterdam, Netherlands (Ziggo Dome) w/ Megadeth
- October 15, 2025 – Brussels, Belgium (Forest National) w/ Megadeth
- October 17, 2025 – Munich, Germany (Olympiahalle) w/ Megadeth
- October 18, 2025 – Berlin, Germany (Velodrom) w/ Megadeth
- October 20, 2025 – Birmingham, United Kingdom (Utilita Arena Birmingham) w/ Megadeth
- October 22, 2025 – Dublin, Ireland (3Arena) w/ Megadeth
- October 24, 2025 – Manchester, United Kingdom (AO Arena) w/ Megadeth
- October 26, 2025 – London, United Kingdom (The O2) w/ Megadeth
- October 28, 2025 – Glasgow, Scotland (OVO Hydro) w/ Megadeth
