Papa Roach wows fans old and new with a killer set at The Fillmore with support from Nothing More and Escape the Fate.
You know something special is in store when you arrive at the venue and fans are lined up several blocks down the street. There is a buzz in the air tonight with a solid lineup of bands. Well before the first band is scheduled to take the stage, the historic Fillmore is packed with a sold-out crowd. It’s a great way to wind things down as the venue will be closing in early June for several months to undergo renovations.
Opening the evening is Escape the Fate from Las Vegas, NV. They get the crowd fired up with several songs off their recent release I Am Human, including the title track, “Broken Heart”, and “Do You Love Me”. A fan favorite, “Gorgeous Nightmare” is up next. Towards the end of their set, they get the floor moving with the thrashing song “This War is Ours (The Guillotine II)”. Singer Craig Mabbitt is all over the stage engaging with fans, and drummer Robert Ortiz is a beast on the drums, flipping sticks in the air and catching them without missing a beat. They close out the set with one of their most popular songs, “One for the Money”.
Anticipation in the crowd grows as they await Nothing More from San Antonio, TX to take the stage. They have built up a huge and loyal following and many have come from other states including Louisiana and one from Alabama that founded and runs Nothing More Nation. The lights dim and they launch into “Christ Copyright” that has singer Jonny Hawkins pounding drums along with Ben Anderson on the full drum set. The ripping tune has the fans amped up early as they cheer loudly.
Nothing More has been touring heavily since the release of The Stories We Tell Ourselves back in the fall of 2017. Combine that with three Grammy nominations, and you have the recipe for a band that is destined to hit it big. Their shows have become legendary and are known for their high energy with Jonny, guitarist Mark Vollelunga and bassist Daniel Oliver almost never standing still, as well as some unique stage props. They run through four radio-friendly songs from their current album – “Do You Really Want It”, “Don’t Stop”, “Go to War”, and” Fade In/Fade Out” – that have fans going crazy as they sing along to every song.
They slow things down a bit with the highly popular song “Jenny” and follow that with “This is the Time (Ballast)”, both from their previous album. Now is the moment for one of those stage props that many have been waiting to see. Jonny rides The Scorpion Tail, a metal contraption welded by Dan, about ten feet into the air. Using levers, Jonny manipulates the sounds including major bass drops. All the while, smoke cannons are going off all over the stage. The fans are in awe. They close out their brief, but awesome set with “Salem” from The Few Not Fleeting.
A tapestry for Crooked Teeth blocks the stage from view while it is set up for the headliner Papa Roach. A voice comes over the PA, “This is a public service announcement, crowd participation is required”. Then it changes to a chant of “F*** Papa Roach” as the fans raise their middle fingers. Finally, the band hits the stage and the tapestry drops as they jump into the title track off their current release Crooked Teeth. The fans erupt in thunderous cheers.
They follow that up with several major hits – “…To Be Loved”, “Getting Away with Murder”, “Still Swingin’”, and “Face Everything and Rise”. The fans sing along to every song and many in the crowd are bouncing and fist-pumping. Let’s face it, these guys have been around for 25 years and have a huge library of hits to choose from and the setlist tonight is full of them. Jerry Horton on lead guitar has been around for all of them and kills it on stage while jumping about and flipping his hair.
They continue to wow fans both old and new with powerful live shows and solid new music. “American Dream” from Crooked Teeth is getting plenty of airplay these days, and the fans love it when they start in on it. Tonight’s set contains several other songs from their current release including “Periscope” and “My Medication”.
Lead singer Jacoby Shaddix is one of the most energetic singers in the business as he jumps up on platforms, runs around the stage non-stop, and is constantly rocking out and engaging with the fans. You can tell he loves what he does as he is almost always smiling on stage. He truly gives it 100% tonight as he leads the band through a killer 21-song set. He is also quite the sight to see with his spiked-up hair and thick, black leather jacket.
After “Broken Home”, Jacoby takes notice of a guy with a mohawk in the crowd and invites him to come up for a high five. The guy proceeds to crowd surf his way up to the front and does just that. Several others join in on the fun. The band then cranks it up with a rousing cover of Blur’s “Song 2” that has the whole floor bouncing and singing along.
They finish the regular portion of their set with “Born for Greatness”. Returning to the stage, they kick off their encore with the ever popular “Scars” from their 2004 release Getting Away with Murder. Once again, the crowd is heavily engaged as they cheer and sing along. They close out the night with “Last Resort”, one of the songs that propelled their popularity.
Wow! What an awesome show by all three bands. The crowd tonight got their money’s worth. And kudos to the crew as they have put together one of the best light and sound shows I have seen and heard at a concert. Lots of vivid colors mixed with plenty of white light; a photographer’s dream come true. The sound mix is top-notch with a solid lower en, and great clarity for the guitars and vocals.
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Papa Roach
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Nothing More
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Escape the Fate
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Event Date: 19-APR-2018