PAPA ROACH SETLIST Even If It Kills Me Encore: RISE AGAINST SETLIST Re-Education (Through Labor) UNDEROATH SETLIST Loss PAPA ROACH TOUR DATES 04/10 Omaha, NE CHI Health Center Omaha Read More
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Twenty-five years of ‘infestation’ and the ‘roach is still rising’--
Longtime California rockers Papa Roach have joined forces with Rise Against and special guest Underoath on a spanning "Rise Of The Roach" Tour that stretches into October, which included a recent stop in downtown Kansas City at the T-Mobile Center.
P Roach (a band whose history dates all the way back to 1993) is out celebrating 25 years of their breakthrough major label album, "Infest" and is still led by the still-very crowd-interactive and eternally restless Jacoby Shaddix and guitarist Jerry Horton, and is rounded out by longtime bassist Tobin Esperance, and drummer Tony Palermo.
The evening got underway with a short set with Florida rockers Underoath; themselves no newbies either, having formed back in 1997, and who are out in support of a brand-new album, “A Place After This One” (released just prior to the tour, via MNRK Heavy). The record marks a new chapter of sorts, as it’s their first without the contributions of longtime rhythm guitarist, James Smith, who logged almost twenty years in the band.
Their seven-song set leaned most on the recent music, culling four songs from the new record by beginning with “Loss” and ending with the album’s opening, “Generation No Surrender” and singer Spencer Chamberlain singing, “I guess we’ll watch it all burn”. In between, there were older, more familiar classics and Chamberlain running back and forth along the area directly below the stage, to then be held up along the front barrier to sing from just above the crowd (also getting a perfect view of the churning mosh pit).
Next up was Chicago’s Rise Against, also celebrating a quarter-century mark of time, but of their own formation as a band, not for a particular album. The socially-conscious group was one we hadn’t seen live in a decade, so we felt overdue. They have been working on new music to follow up their 2021 album, “Nowhere Generation” and do have a brand-new single, “Nod” as a first taste of the upcoming record, and managed to work that song in, towards the end of their set.
The band isn’t afraid to touch on current socio-, environmental, and political issues lyrically, but is probably most impactful when singing about basic human and animal rights. Vocalist / guitarist Tim Mcllrath also reminisced about all the previous area places they’ve played over the years (including the long gone Hurricane and El Torreon) but with a shared access to the stage lighting and efx, the band had something we’d never seen from them prior in those clubs or small theaters- pyro!
2004’s “Swing Life Away” was a set highlight, played acoustically and emotionally, and another was their closing, “Savior” from 2008, where things get tough lyrically, but in the end, hate is driven away and not allowed to win the day.
Finally, it was time for Papa Roach as evidenced by the large fabric banner with the profile of a dead upside-down cockroach that dropped to reveal the band, halfway through their opening “Even If It Kills Me.” Like the insect it was named for, the band has remained stubbornly resilient in remaining loyal to their fans, still producing new music that gets airplay, and staying in the rock zeitgeist in general for over the last two decades.
Their latest full-length, was 2022’s “Ego Trip” (out via New Noize Records) and the band only dipped into the recent music three times, preferring a mix of older favorites and covers to fill out the set. The stage lighting was very impressive throughout, with more panning spotlights than London during the WWII blitz and of course, vertical plumes of pyro and opposing geysers of smoke were used very liberally throughout the set.
2000’s “Blood Brothers” remains a band and crowd favorite, as evidenced by it being emblazoned on the back of Shaddix’s jacket, and it wasn’t long before Jacoby himself was in the crowd, high-fiving fans as he stopped to sing in several lower-level locations, surrounded by joyous fans and recording cell phones.
Their third album hit, the title track from “Getting Away with Murder” predictably got the crowd even more worked up, and that was inexplicably followed by some scat cover verses from the likes of Eminem, and Dr. Dre / Tupac, in a remembrance to their own early nu-metal, rap roots. Shaddix also remembered fondly some of the previous KC shows during the band’s career, notably festivals like Rockfest and Rock the ‘Dotte that were all in collaboration with local station 98.9FM and its recently departed morning host, Johnny Dare.
2006’s “Forever” with Shaddix singing, “Because days come and go, but my feelings for you are forever” would segue into the last verse of Linkin Park’s “In the End” and Shaddix mentioning his kinship with their departed singer Chester Bennington- from their times together when LP opened for the ‘Roach in 2000, to their touring together during the Anger Management Tour, a couple of years later.
Suicide prevention is a strong social topic for the band and Shaddix took time out to expand on the band’s passion for the cause, which was followed by a PSA-style commercial on-screen from Shaddix himself and then a heartfelt rendering of 2022’s “Leave a Light On (Talk Away the Dark)” performed with audience phone lights and lighters swaying in the air everywhere.
During the encore, Shaddix was back into the crowd, making his way around the arena, while singing a medley of early 2000’s rock hits from their (mostly) California peers of the day – Korn, Deftones, Limp Bizkit, and System of a Down.
A dizzying “Last Resort” would end the evening, pulling out all stops- with lights panning and flashing everywhere, more pyro and smoke and a band firing on all cylinders, for their most successful and best-known song – against all odds, the ‘Roach has truly risen.
PAPA ROACH at T-Mobile Center, Kansas City MO (2024-04-09)
PAPA ROACH at T-Mobile Center, Kansas City MO (2024-04-09)
PAPA ROACH at T-Mobile Center, Kansas City MO (2024-04-09)
RISE AGAINST at T-Mobile Center, Kansas City MO (2024-04-09)
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UNDEROATH at T-Mobile Center, Kansas City MO (2024-04-09)
John C ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥X / twitter.com ♥ bsky.ap |
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