The last time Papa Roach was in town was in October 2009 with Jet. Unlike their former Australian tourmates who broke up last March, Papa Roach is, as their set opener states, "Still Swingin'". Promoting their latest CD "The Connection", Papa Roach (comprised of singer Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, bassist Tobin Esperance and drummer Tony Palermo) returned to the Big Apple for the first time in over four years to play Terminal 5, this time with co-headliners Stone Sour.
At this point in their career that's lasted well over a decade, Papa Roach has a stockpile of hits and fan favorites to choose from, a number of which made the set last night. "Getting Away With Murder", "Scars", "Forever", "Between Angels and Insects", "Lifeline" and "To Be Loved" all made the cut. But for this Examiner, the highlights of the set came from the newest material off "The Connection", especially "Where Did The Angels Go", one of the heaviest Papa Roach songs to date. The band was clearly excited to play the new songs for the crowd, jumping around and headbanging to tunes like "Give Me Back My Life" and "Silence Is The Enemy", which were tailor-made for big halls full of fans ready to rock out like the ones that filled up the 3,000-capacity Terminal 5 on Wednesday night. During "Before I Die", Shaddix made his way down the front row to sing the end of the song, giving fans an up close and personal moment with the singer.
The metalhead crowd moshed their way through the entire set, strangely even during the slow verses of "Forever", finally helping Papa Roach finish up the set with a house-singalong to "Last Resort." Though the crowd seemed a bit more familiar with Stone Sour's catalog, they still showed Papa Roach lots of love, indicating that a return visit from the four Californians would be very much welcomed.
Click here for photos from the Papa Roach/Stone Sour tour, with additional shots here.
For more info on Papa Roach, check out their official site at PapaRoach.com, and for more info on Stone Sour, check out StoneSour.com.
Follow me on Twitter at @ConcertExaminer!
