Tunkhannock strikes first, Scranton Prep responds in 62-7 win

Wilkes-Barre man shot on North Sherman Street

<p>SCRANTON &#8212; When Times Leader spoke to Breaking Benjamin lead singer Benjamin Burnley about returning to The Pavilion at Montage Mountain to preform in front of the band&#8217;s hometown crowd, the Wilkes-Barre native practically predicted the future.</p><p>Burnley stated that fans during their &#8220;Dark Before Dawn&#8221; tour have been &#8220;more frantic than they&#8217;ve ever been,&#8221; but he knew that Northeastern Pennsylvania would be &#8220;the best of them all because the people there have always been so amazing and such an incredible fan base.&#8221; Northeastern Pennsylvania didn&#8217;t disappoint Burnley and, if the roar of the crowd Friday night was any indication, he didn&#8217;t disappoint them either.</p><p>The night at Montage Mountain began with a set from Atlanta-based band Sevendust. According to Burnley, the group was chosen because they&#8217;re popular in the Northeastern Pennsylvania area. According to Scranton resident Tara Kojsza, Burnley was right.</p><p>&#8220;Sevendust killed it,&#8221; Kojsza said. &#8220;Beyond overwhelming; an amazing bonus. They engaged the audience so well and kept everybody focused.&#8221;</p><p>The seats that hadn&#8217;t been filled during Sevendust&#8217;s set were quickly occupied before Breaking Benjamin took the stage and, after a few sound check moments had the crowd roaring with anticipation, the Billboard chart champions took the stage.</p><p>The band&#8217;s set started with &#8220;So Cold,&#8221; the first single from their sophomore effort &#8220;We Are Not Alone,&#8221; and lasted for another 26 songs. That&#8217;s a long set by any act&#8217;s standards, but Burnley and company have five albums of material to cull their setlist from. Breaking Benjamin&#8217;s first album, &#8220;Saturate,&#8221; lended the most songs to the playlist tonight, but the biggest treat for long-haul fans was &#8220;Blow Me Away,&#8221; a track from the band&#8217;s &#8220;So Cold&#8221; EP. There were even a few covers thrown into the mix from Queen and Tool.</p><p>&#8220;I brought my 17-year-old son here; they&#8217;re his favorite band,&#8221; Rosemary McCloskey of West Pittston said. &#8220;They&#8217;re amazing. I&#8217;ve listened to them all during my teenage years.&#8221;</p><p>The age range in the crowd at Montage Mountain is a testament to Breaking Benjamin&#8217;s staying power, and that staying power has been strengthened with the band&#8217;s new additions. Burnley is quick to note in interviews that the overall vocal quality of the band has gone up since their return and that rings true live.</p><p>Every piece of the new Breaking Benjamin lineup was given a chance to shine on stage and the group looks like a cohesive unit with everyone contributing a necessary piece to the whole. There were moments when we were reminded that the members have only been playing together for a year, but the album-quality sound is there; the stage presence will assumingly improve as the band continues to play together live.</p><p>This was Scranton resident Ryan Clarkson&#8217;s third time seeing Breaking Benjamin and, according to him, the best live performance he&#8217;s seen from the band thus far.</p><p>&#8220;I absolutely loved it,&#8221; Clarkson said. &#8220;Every show they keep getting better and better. The energy was unbelievable.&#8221;</p><p>Breaking Benjamin&#8217;s return to Montage Mountain was met with clapping hands and screaming fans who created an impressive roar when they weren&#8217;t being treated to the band&#8217;s 27-track setlist. It was like the Breaking Benjamin never left&#8212; Burnley has picked right back up from where he left off &#8212; and if the crowd at Montage Mountain was any indication, his fans have done the same.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Ben Burnley of Breaking Benjamin walks onto stage, showing love for the hometown crowd on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_ben1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Ben Burnley of Breaking Benjamin walks onto stage, showing love for the hometown crowd on Friday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_ben4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Benjamin Burnley of Breaking Benjamin performing at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_ben4.jpg</photo1><caption1>Benjamin Burnley of Breaking Benjamin performing at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain on Friday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_ben5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Breaking Benjamin performing at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_ben5.jpg</photo2><caption2>Breaking Benjamin performing at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain on Friday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Gene Axton</p><p>gaxton@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Gene Axton at 570-991-6121 or on Twitter @TLArts</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Breaking Benjamin and Sevendust rock The Pavilion at Montage Mountain