Papa Roach “Kill the Noise Tour” w/Hollywood Undead and Bad Wolves at The Fillmore Detroit

Detroit,Michigan (March 17,2022)-The excessively long line outside the Fillmore Detroit snaked through the neighborhood for blocks. Surely this Thursday night crowd was lined-up to see some up-and-coming indie buzz band, electronic pop band or drink some green beverages in celebration of the one day a year everyone is Irish, St. Patricks day. In fact, fans had lined up hours earlier to see nu-metal survivors Papa Roach make their return to the historic Detroit venue for the first time in nearly four years. The Vacaville California hard rockers made their anticipated stop at the The Fillmore Detroit as part of their national Kill The Noise Tour with special guests Bad Wolves and Hollywood Undead in support of their upcoming release, Ego Trip.

Bad Wolves opened the evening and their infectious energy quickly spilled over into the crowd. New frontman Daniel “DL” Laskiewicz worked the length of the stage and kept his vocals tight for an amazing set that included “Killing Me” and “Zombie,” along with their new hit,”Lifeline.”  The band also took a moment to speak about mental health, advocating for seeking help when needed. Their short time onstage was powerful, leaving ears ringing and big expectations for the rest of the night.

It is often forgotten that Hollywood Undead have shared the stage and toured with the likes of Avenged Sevenfold, Asking Alexandria, Black Veil Brides, and more. Once you see them perform live, it’s apparent their nearly two decades of touring has paid off, as they deliver a high-octane, crowd pleasing set. With a visually engaging stage production, hilarious stage banter and charisma (even bringing a fan on stage to shred out on the guitar with the band), and nonstop energy they quickly win over the nay-sayers.

Opening with “Chaos,” the title track off the new album of the same name, the crowd was invested from the onset, hand waving, fist pumping and singing along from the very first hit. Indeed, the singing started in earnest long before they had  even reached the stage. Whomever was in charge of walk on music tonight was on their A-game. It was waxy ear build-up loud but also beautifully crisp and clear.

Other highlights from entertaining set included “California Dreaming,” “Whatever it Takes” and “Riot,”  which traditionally has the whole venue bouncing up and down, chanting “F**k that shit, let’s start a riot!” Rather than just being a highlight hits reel though, the set spanned Hollywood Undead’s career in full, rolling back to their roots with “War Child” and “Everywhere I Go” alongside a cover of a more contemporary American country classic, the legendary Johnny Cash favorite “Folsom Prison Blues.” With all the energy that Hollywood Undead unleashed, it was hard to believe that Danny was not onstage with the band. The guys did fantastic job covering his parts with some well spaced lead-ins and dubs while he recovers from Covid.

Papa Roach have never been scared to branch out of their comfort zone, walking the line between “rap-rock,” electronic, and just straight-up rock ‘n’ roll. Drawing inspiration from old-school hip-hop to hard-rock, Papa Roach continues to deliver a diverse and fearless discography filled with thumping bass lines, crunching guitar grooves, and rock-solid beats that have inspired an entire generation of metal-core acts.

Conversely their fans tend to lean towards a tighter more edgy description and relate to how the Papa Roach has been consistent throughout their career. The band itself has been rocking stages for just short of thirty years, and they continue to do so with their new album Ego Trip ready to drop in early April.

Following a 40-minute stage set change, the anticipation grew stronger as the sold out venue waited for the arrival of the one and only Papa Roach! The moment finally arrived when lights dimmed and a smooth, Siri-like robotic female voice addresses the crowd… “Attention! This is a public service announcement and full participation is required. Now put your middle fingers up and repeat after me. F**k Papa Roach. LOUDER… you motherf**kers! F**k Papa Roach!”  Mobile phones reached toward the sky as the California nu-metal legends burst onto the set with their latest number one hit “Kill the Noise,” which sent the crowd into a music-induced frenzy. “Getting Away With Murder” and “Between Angels and Insects,” followed and without a better description, simply set the crowd on fire.

Boasting an extensive back catalog, Papa Roach delivered something for every fan from the old school nu-metal anthem “Blood Brothers,” to a couple new cuts from Ego Trip, “Stand Up” and “Swerve” that were each received as instant classics. Word for word, note for note the crowd sang in unison and most notably during “Scars” where the audience could have easily given Shaddix a rest from his vocal duties on this monster hit.

Speaking of Jacoby Shaddix, he just might be one of the best front men currently in the business. Whether delivering multi octave lyrics on the evenings setlist or directing the crowd to “Bring on the crowd surfers, I like it, I need it,“ or clearing the main floor and calling for an old-school mosh-pit to form in the center as he towers over the crowd orchestrating the madness. Simply put, Shaddix gets it and fully understands what Papa Roach fans need to have a great time at one of their live performances and tonight was no exception.Every song the band touched on became a mass sing-along which made frontman Jacoby Shaddix almost inaudible at times. Shaddix at one point asked, “are you ready to party?” The response was deafening as the crowd roared their reply.

To merely list the songs played would not effectively convey the rush and excitement that was clearly palatable throughout the evening.  Personal and more slower melodic favorite “Periscope” was visible while higher energy songs such as “Help” and “Song 2” raised temperature levels inside the venue as the stage security struggled to battle the energetic onslaught of people crowdsurfing over the stage barriers throughout the evening.

Audibly, you could truly hear how their style has evolved and matured over their long illustrious career both lyrically and musically. Guitarist Jerry Horton thrilled fans with bouncy riffs and catchy hooks making each song more memorable than its predecessor. Touring member rhythm guitarist Anthony Esperance was on top form. Hefty drum lines came from Tony Palermo who set a rhythm throughout the set and really dug in deep for the multilayered “American Dreams” and “Last Resort.”

As the band heads into the final strides of their main set, they unveil one of the stand out tracks of their upcoming album in the shape of “Stand Up.” With its anthemic quality and catchy hooks, this song without a doubt is a future classic in the making. Following Ramones-esque cheers of ‘Hey Ho, Let’s Go’, Papa Roach closed out their main set with the fast and furious, circle pit inducing “To Be Loved”.

Papa Roach eloquently brought the show full circle for the encore by taking their crowd back to the beginning of their careers with the first song from their debut album “Infest,” which based on the roar that permeated throughout the venue, pleased the old school fans in attendance. Not wanting the cuts from the new album to be overshadowed, Hollywood Undead returned to the stage for a extended and intense version of “Swerve,” with Shaddix and the band before capping off the nights proceedings with a foot-stomping airing of “Born For Greatness”. The singing was deafening. The emotion was heartfelt and the overflowing crowd were lost in a moment. Papa Roach screamed and the fans screamed harder. It was a great ending to the night.

Papa Roach has released some quality albums and another is just around the corner, but nothing compares to their live show. Jacoby is one heck of a frontman who acknowledges, engages, and feeds off of the crowd. Jerry and Tony also grab your attention, and the combination of their talents makes for quite the experience.

What was startling were the surprised, at times humbled, looks that the audience received from the band when they went full force, or sang at the top of their lungs. It was a concert to remember and one that the fans that missed, will look back on. At one point, Shaddix said, “I feel the heart and soul from you tonight, guys.” By the deafening adulation the band received, the feeling was mutual.

Papa Roach:

 

Hollywood Undead:

 

Bad Wolves:

 

The Fillmore Detroit: