Written By: Jim Markunas(Editor-In-Chief)
Photos By: Ed Hannigan
View all of Ed’s Papa Roach photos here.
Papa Roach is one of the best rock bands in American history. This is a documented fact.
I saw Papa Roach for the first time when they were touring off of Infest, and they blew me away. I had been resistant to listening to their music because Jacoby had made the grave mistake of comparing Papa Roach to Nirvana in an interview (this was the taboo of my generation). They were on the bill with 9 other bands at one of those Q101 shows at the United Center in Chicago, and I wasn’t exactly looking forward to their set. They took the stage wearing matching outfits, as they were going for a “roach” theme back then. Each member wore a black t-shirt tucked into a pair of black jeans. I stood there with my arms crossed, waiting for them to change my mind about them… which is exactly what they did!
Not only did they end their set by smashing all of their instruments, but Jacoby had spent 2-3 songs running through the audience; the United Center is an arena, mind you, but that didn’t hinder his mission to climb ever tier while belting out his then-signature style of alt/rap-metal. The crowd (myself included) went nuts! From that day forward, I was a die-hard Papa Roach fan. It didn’t matter that football players listened to them (the same reason I stopped listening to Korn), it didn’t matter that Jacoby had called Papa Roach ‘the next Nirvana,’ and it for sure didn’t matter that they were an overnight success (or what seemed like it at the time) – The only thing that mattered was that Papa Roach cemented their status as one of the greatest metal bands of this decade (at least in my mind).
I saw them 6 months later at the Ozzfest (remember that shit?). Any doubt I had about Papa Roach’s Rock God status was quickly demolished as they took the stage and started a riot… literally. The Ozzfest was at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park. The Tweeter, in addition to having a stupid name, was famous for it’s exclusionary pricing structure. Seats in the front cost 8-9 times as much as lawn seats, which were so far away from the stage (which was also hidden under a giant bandshell) that concert-goers had no chance of seeing the band if they had the misfortune of buying a lawn seat. Needless to say, people were pissed.Papa Roach ripped into “Between Angels and Insects,” and the ‘have-nots’ decided to take action. Hundreds of disaffected lawn-seaters began to rip huge chunks out of the lawn and hurl them full-force at the ‘haves’ seated under the band shell. The sky went black as large chunks of dirt and sod flew against the patrons in their seats. The people under the band shell began to throw their garbage, pieces of the lawn, and $10 cups of full beer at the people seated in the lawn. It was a full-scale riot of epic proportions, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.
Papa Roach continued to play as the shit kept flying. At one point a chunk of lawn smacked Jacoby clean across the face. He fell to the floor, and the band screeched to a halt. The music stopped, hell, even the flying garbage fight stopped. Everyone stood in silence, waiting to see his reaction. He calmly got up off the floor, walked to the mic, and said, “Stop that shit!” Papa Roach began to play again, and as soon as the first note came out of Jerry’s guitar, the pieces of lawn and garbage once again began to fly, and didn’t stop until Linkin Park took the stage 40 minutes later.
Since then, Papa Roach has changed drastically; they no longer rap, Dave’s no longer in the band, Jacoby is half the size he was in 2001 (but with the energy he puts into the music, you’d think he was 10 feet tall and bulletproof), and Jerry’s hair rivals that of any rock star in touch with their artistic side. Seriously, Jerry – You have perfect hair! He spent 75% of the set headbanging, yet not a single hair came out of place. If I ever decide to grow my hair out, I’m going to Jerry for grooming advice.Backtracking a little, the last time I saw Papa Roach live was when they recorded Live and Murderous in Chicago, a great show, but not nearly as awesome as their ‘riot-inciting’ set at the Tweeter. I moved to L.A., P. Roach put out The Paramour Sessions, and because I wanted to get a free copy of it, was inspired to start an online magazine… so Thanks, Papa Roach! Anyhow, I wasn’t sure how Paramour and Metamorphosis would translate live, so I was exceptionally excited to see Papa Roach play the Nokia (not to mention After Midnight Project, the band we’re championing for obvious reasons, was going to be there as well).
My one gripe of the night: After Midnight Project got stuck with the worst time slot, opening for the opening band, Johnny No-Talent, or something like that; I don’t remember their name (a.) because it was too long, and (b) because they sucked more balls than a Vietnamese Hooker. However, After Midnight Project didn’t seem to mind the shitty time slot, and brought the house down as if they were the headlining band. What I love about AMP is their ability to not only win over any crowd in a matter of minutes (they actually got the crowd to mosh and dance, RARE as fuck for an opening band), but also their sheer talent and craft. If you haven’t read our “5 Reasons Why After Midnight Project is the Next Big Thing” article, I suggest you do so. (check out Ed’s AMP Pics)Johnny no-talent or something played the soundtrack to our cigarette/bathroom break, and then Jet took the stage. Remember Jet? In 2002, they were HUGE with radio hit after radio hit, and then one day they disappeared. I have to admit, the only song I’ve ever heard by Jet is “Cold Hard Bitch,” in my opinion their best song, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. My friend Jeremy had told me before their set that Jet is a killer live band (in his words almost as good as Papa Roach), so I was holding them to ridiculously high standards. To my absolute delight, they opened with “Cold Hard Bitch,” and proceeded to wow me with every song. A little about Jet: They have the swagger of 1970s Led Zeppelin, the vocal chops of AC/DC, and the guitar skills of Pete Townsend. If you made the Beatles less pussy-ish and forced them to have sex with AC/DC, you’d have Jet, Aussie rockers that make the feel good, Hive’s-inspired classic rock throwback of the early 00’s seem relevant again. – Not to mention the singer is a member of the tribe, which makes me happy!
If you have a chance to catch Jet live on their next US tour, I suggest you do so (check out Ed's Jet pics).Papa Roach came on next, and kicked ass. (What else can I say?). Like I said earlier, Jerry Horton has the world’s best hair. In addition, they brought the house down. Their material from Paramour and Metamorphosis (also the name of Hilary Duff’s first album… ironic), translated fairly well live. The second or third song of the set was “Lifeline,” which as we all know, showcases the coolest guitar riff of 2009. The reason I mention this is because I've been listening to "Lifeline" for the past few months in awe of the riff (you gotta see Jerry play it live!)
Jacoby brought After Midnight Project singer, Jason Evigan back out on stage to perform "Hollywood Whore," it was a seminal rock 'n' roll torch-passing moment. Unfortunately, we don't have pictures (the press is only allowed to photograph the first three songs. Why? Not sure, let me ask Ed.)
Jim pauses writing article to call Ed Hannigan.
Jim: Ed! Why didn't we get any pics of Jason on stage with P-Roach? How come they only let photographers photograph the first three songs?
Ed: Not sure. I think clubs truly believe that something magical happens in the fourth song that if photographed, would end the world as we know it.
Jim: Fuckin' ridiculous! Gotta go, writing the P. Roach review.
During their performance of “Had Enough,” Jacoby jumped off stage and ran through the audience, hugging people and slapping fives to what seemed like everyone in the club. If anything, Club Nokia is too small of a venue for Papa Roach, a band that deserves to sell out arenas across the U.S. So, P. Roach… If you’re reading this, the next time you’re in L.A., I want to see you play the Gibson in Universal City!
With the exception of Johnny No-Talent, this show was the line-up of the century. Please see Papa Roach's tour dates and World Hunger Year news. In addition to being a great band, they're also great altruists.
