Disturbed pyrotechnics damage famous Chicago Bulls championship banners during hometown show

David Draiman of the band Disturbed performs during The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour at Little Caesars Arena on March 10, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan.

(Image credit: Scott Legato/Getty Images)

Pyrotechnics used during a Disturbed show at the United Center in Chicago last weekend caused damage to six Chicago Bulls banners that hang from the arena's rafters.

By all accounts, Disturbed's hometown show was a storming success, with the band saying afterwards: "Tonight was special – a sold out hometown show at a bucket-list venue. We can’t thank you enough!"

They were even joined by original bassist Steve 'Fuzz' Kmak for the show, much to the delight of the audience.

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But it didn't all go entirely to plan as some wayward pyro damaged banners commemorating the remarkable success of the city's beloved basketball team in the 1990s.

The Chicago Bulls won six NBA (National Basketball Association) championships between 1991 and 1998 with a team that included Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.

Each championship is marked by a banner hanging from the arena's rafters. But they will not be in place for the remainder of the NBA regular season as the venue work out how they can be repaired.

The venue's management tell the Chicago Tribune: "United Center is currently working with the Bulls to explore options to repair these banners. While the banners will not be in place for the remainder of this season, we do anticipate them being back in place next season."

The band's North American tour for 2025 marks 25 years of their debut album The Sickness.

They will be in Boston tonight (March 14) and Washington D.C. tomorrow. They will take the show to the UK, Ireland and Europe in September and October.

A shot of the championship banners that hang from the rafters of the United Center prior to a Bulls game in 1999 in Chicago, Illinois. — The Chicago Bulls NBA championship banners that were damaged by pyro during a Disturbed show in March, 2025. (Image credit: Steve Woltmann/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Disturbed 2025 European tour dates

Sep 28: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark
Oct 01: Dusseldorf PSD Bank Dome, Germany
Oct 03: Stuttgart Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Germany
Oct 04: Zurich Hallenstadion, Switzerland
Oct 06: Budapest Arena, Hungary
Oct 07: Prague O2 Arena, Czech Republic
Oct 10: Krakow Tauron Arena, Poland
Oct 12: Paris Zenith, France
Oct 14: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
Oct 15: Brussels Forest National Arena, Belgium
Oct 17: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany
Oct 18: Berlin Velodrome, Germany
Oct 20: Birmingham Utilita Arena, UK
Oct 22: Dublin 3Arena, Ireland
Oct 24: Manchester AO Arena, UK
Oct 26: London The O2, UK
Oct 28: Glasgow OVO Hydro, UK

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.