Papa Roach continues to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its breakthrough album, Infest, with a North American tour that hit Los Angeles this weekend.
As part of its Rise of the Roach tour, the venerable rock band performed at the Kia Forum in the L.A. area on Friday, with stalwart punk outfits Rise Against and Underoath as support. In honor of Infest’s release on April 25, 2000, Papa Roach’s set included such tracks from that album as “Broken Home” and lead single “Last Resort,” which has become a signature tune for the band and was the show’s final number. The group also played singles “Scars,” “…To Be Loved” and recent release “Even If It Kills Me.”
“Some people say that everybody in L.A. is jaded,” frontman Jacoby Shaddix told the crowd from the stage. “I don’t fucking believe it. I see you got soul in this motherfucker. You got heart in this motherfucker. You got passion in this motherfucker.”
Before launching into a cover of Tupac’s “California Love,” Shaddix described his band’s roots in the state. “We come from a small town up north, a small town called Vacaville,” he shared. “We came out the fucking bushes, you know what I’m saying? [In] 1993, said, ‘We want to start a fucking band.’ Now we’re traveling the fucking world, living the dream. Thank you, guys, for living in our dream tonight.”
Papa Roach’s performance of the song “Forever” incorporated a rendition of Linkin Park‘s “In the End,” followed by Shaddix recalling having toured with the band that got its start in Southern California. According to Shaddix, he and late Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington bonded during the 2001 Ozzfest over their mutual excitement to start a family, with both musicians becoming first-time fathers in the following year.
“It’s a celebration of life right here tonight,” Shaddix continued. “We’re gonna fuckin’ get down with some good vibes in this motherfucker.”
Toward the end of the set, Shaddix noted that it has been “25 years [of] pouring my heart into this music, and you guys are making me feel like I am not alone, so I am grateful for every last one of y’all here tonight. We all stand here, individually and collectively, as people who are willing to stand up and fight the good fight.”
Prior to Papa Roach, Rise Against performed a set that included hits “Give It All,” “Ready to Fall” and “Savior.” In keeping with his progressive views, frontman Tim McIlrath’s onstage comments included a shout-out to the people of Ukraine and a tribute to those impacted by L.A.’s recent wildfires and other disasters amid climate change.
“We all come from somewhere,” McIlrath said in introducing the song “Prayer of the Refugee.” He added, “Not a single one of us is illegal.”
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