Kerrang! Week Of Rock
They may have had their ups and downs over the last few years, there have been departures and celebrations with band members leaving only to return. But if you were ever to be convinced that Limp Bizkit was back for good, then this performance at the HMV Forum for the Kerrang! Week of Rock finale would cement it.
Even though sitting in the same spot for two hours since there was no support for this show had my entire body feeling achy and drained, you could literally feel the atmosphere changing around you as the time approached for Limp Bizkit to take to the stage. Among the flood of red caps below, an anxious and very excited crowd waited for a glimpse of the band they had waited so long to see. The gig was SOLD OUT, and the fans were there to prove it.
Performing songs such as ‘Show Me What You Got’, ‘Pollution’, ‘Now I Know Why You Wanna Hate Me’, ‘My Way or the Highway’ and ‘Rollin’ these guys were outstanding. They jump, they stretch, they scream, they shout, that’s the fans as well as the band, through all the upbeat, lively and very loud musical numbers, but the most impressive was the one that didn’t cause complete mayhem. ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ literally stopped everyone in the midst of a crazy night, got the crowd standing still, waving their arms and putting their lighters in the air. This was the most memorable performance of the night.
Fred Durst played his lead role very well, but it was guitarist Wes Borland that seemed to put in the most effort for this performance. Dressed from head to toe in white, by that meaning paint and what could have been tights (?) and a mask, how Wes managed to proceed for the hour and a half set is beyond me. As the show progressed it was actually getting very difficult to breath so goodness knows how he must have been feeling under that spotlight. I am guessing the Martini’s that he was knocking back had something to do with his willpower to stay on stage.
As the end approached, Durst spotted a familiar face in the crowd and bought some kid onto the stage to sing ‘Full Nelson’ with the band, someone that had apparently impressed Durst in a previous performance. This is going to be one night that kid and many others, will not be forgetting in a hurry. To sign off I would like to thank Fred Durst for the bruise on my arm as throwing bottles of water up at the balcony just seemed so sensible didn’t it? From that distance though, the guy has a good arm.