Papa Roach

April 15th arrived and it was time to see the rock and metal legends Papa Roach who have been slaying stages around the world for over 25 years now. At one of Bristol’s finest venues I must add as well; the O2 Academy. To kick the night off was supporting band Nothing More. It’s not often you get a supporting act that could easily book a headlining tour of their own. Both bands are incredible and the show was exactly what we all had been waiting for.

Nothing More

The first memory that comes to mind about Nothing More’s set was they had the biggest and loudest sub-drop I have ever heard. It made the audience jump, then vocalist Jonny Hawkins emerged and climbed up on a metal structure high above the stage and cranked the handle on an air raid siren before jumping down and getting back to the set. With half his torso painted black and in bare feet (as always) storming around the stage with so much passion and even having a laugh by kicking towards me at one point with a cheeky grin. Besides having a fun time all around they delivered a high caliber,  charismatic set with intense energy to match. With the way they have dominated radio air play, festival stages and supporting gigs these guys better be on your radar or you’ve been hiding under a rock. Its always nice to see a drummer who slays the kit which Ben Anderson absolutely does with no troubles. The vocalist interacts with the crowd. From time to time on the vocal high notes you hear a slight resemblance of Perry Farrell from Janes Addiction and Porno For Pyros. Being part of a sold out night and seeing the band members enjoying it as much as you do is the most wonderful thing ever. And it was just getting started.

Papa Roach

Papa Roach was the headliner of the show and damn did they prove themselves worthy! The crowd was already hyped up after the stellar performance by Nothing More. However, the fans still had lots of sweat and energy to give on this rock n roll filled night. Chanting ”Papa Roach” started ringing out before they even took the stage. After realizing that they were going to open the night with a legendary track from their sophomore release back in 2000; ”Last Resort.” The crowd literally couldn’t keep the excitement in much longer. We were treated yet again with another iconic track ”Between Angels And Insects” which was without a doubt another reason for fans to get motivated. Later that night Papa Roach showed us just how heavy some of their songs can be, especially live. With the walls of death opening up and the people choosing their side the game was on and I was yet again just a little closer to finishing my own bucket list as well.

To be this far along in their career and still selling out tours in venues of this size really shows the staying power that Papa Roach has, while many bands fade away with genres popularity this band continues to thrive!

Papa Roach

To make it even more remarkable, they went off stage only to return for an encore. Something special was brewing and the band covered “Firestarter” by The Prodigy saying ”We miss you and love you Keith, rest in piece.” Just as the song ended the entire crowd chanted Keith’s name. Afterwards Coby even shared some  personal thoughts about Keith. Saying he is missed and that it had been truly amazing seeing him all these years ago. He will be missed.

So for all those people who haven’t decided on seeing either Nothing More or Papa Roach live I highly recommend both. They share such a unique energy and are a must to cross of your bucketlist!