Becoming infested with Papa Roach and Skindred Roseland Theater in Portland, OR
By Robin Steeley
Late as usual, I missed the F-Ups, an edgy punk flavored hard-core band that I saw once before on warped tour. They are definitely worth arriving early for so I begin my night by kicking myself in the ass for my tardiness.
First up on stage after my arrival is Skindred, whose blend of European and Jamaican laced metal is in a genre of its own. Every time I hear this band I am awe struck by how truly unique their music is. They have a raw and energetic stage performance that gets the crowd turned into a clustered mass of bodies all fighting to achieve some level of crowd surfing. I saw Skindred earlier this year on tour with Korn and while that was a great show, I think I prefer seeing them on the smaller stage; it was definitely a more intimate experience with the band. The songs are delivered with an unbelievable degree of intensity and solid musicianship. There is no one else out there who even comes close to the originality of Skindred’s music.
Although most people know them by their hit single “Nobody” which is currently climbing the charts, it is only one song in a set full of incredible hits.
Papa Roach is up next after a lengthy set change and I could soon tell what took so long to set up. The band boasts a flashy set full of intelligent lighting, strobes, and smoke, which makes for a stunning display and the perfect backdrop to the bands hard-edged music. It’s really amazing to me how far this band has come since its humble beginnings. I remember the first time I saw them play was a tiny place called Fatty Mocha’s in Merced, CA, when they were barely more then a garage band, soon after graduating to playing the California tour circuit from Los Angeles to the Bay Area. Today they are hardly recognizable as the same band although their trademark sound hasn’t changed much, maybe a little more metal and a little less rap, a change that has been successful in their recent history.
The rest is just rock glitz and stage glamour residing behind a stripped down set of the bands greatest hits to date.
In top form tonight, they slam out one hit after another from their last two releases, played before a raging audience that moved around the pit in a frenzy of anticipation. One of the most amazing things about this band is their consistent sound. They perfectly replicate live the same energy that comes across in their studio recordings. 100% Solid each song is as good if not better then the last. The true standout quality of this music is definitely the vocals, although I wouldn’t downplay the instrumentation or musicianship in anyway, it’s excellently delivered and flawlessly tight. That having been said, what rises above all is the precision of the vocal onslaught delivered by Frontman Coby Dick. Amidst the dazzling lights he stands on top of a riser, directly above the crowd, interacting with them at all times and never breaking that artist/fan contact that started with their first searing note and continued until the last chord was played.
They ran through hits off their first record Infest including “Broken Home” and their recent hit single “Scars” off their latest release. The walls practically came down when the final encore came and it was “Last Resort”, the crowd was singing so loud that they actually drowned out the band. Overall, it was an impressive performance and while I requested this show at my teenage daughter’s insistence, I would come back again to see Papa Roach live in the future.
In closing, I would have to say that the coolest part of my entire night was watching my fourteen-year-old daughter crowd surfing over the barricade twice while I was shooting pictures and running up to hug me in the photo pit before being run off by venue security. Maybe I’m biased, but this little girl is one touch chick, jumping relentlessly back into the pit time and time again. It’s an amazing thing to me to watch the next generation take over and claim its rightful place, in the front row, in the pit, and on top of the crowd.
