Sydney Entertainment Centre
Saturday October 26, 2013 :
I must admit, I have never really been a Limp Bizkit fan, and reviewed it more out of deference to my older brother, whose 13-year old self would never have forgiven me for passing up the opportunity. So, armed with a baseball cap and a pair of long skater shorts to help me get in the right headspace, I rocked up to the Entertainment Centre and cast my eyes upon a sea of late-twenty-something men also dressed in their best Fred Durst outfits, amped up and ready to go.
The aggressive excitement of the gathered crowd was infectious and, taking the stage, the band seemed to feed off it – especially Durst, who bounced around spitting his teenage angst with as much humour and venom as though he’d never outgrown it.
I was surprised as the set progressed to recall how many hits Limp Bizkit really had, and found myself edging my way into the mosh pit and joining in the screams of ‘yeeeaahhhh!’ as everyone recalled ‘Nookie’, ‘Break Stuff’, ‘My Way’ and ‘Rollin’’ at the same time. One of the biggest crowd receptions came towards the end for their massively successful cover of George Michael’s ‘Faith’, and we were mercifully spared ‘Behind Blue Eyes’.
The crowd’s enthusiasm never waned throughout the entire set. Guitarist Wes Borland may have been the most eye-catching band member in his LED-lit flashing metallic suit and helmet (really), but Fred Durst was the star of the show, remaining connected with all the bros and dudes in the crowd, who at a certain point in the night began to take their shirts off and pump their fists in the air (a not insignificant number of boobs were also flashed Durst’s way). Despite the growing frenzy of the crowd, Durst made constant reminders to the mosh pit to look out for each other, clearly mindful of the tragedy that struck their performance at the Big Day Out in 2001, and Durst announced that every song and show performed in Australia would be dedicated to Jessica Michalik.
It was an over the top show from a ludicrous band, and it was a lot of fun. I was transported back to my early teenage years, as I think many of the crowd were, and nostalgia mixed with pounding bass lines and Durst’s distinctive whiny rapping style made for a really fun atmosphere and a surprisingly joyful gig.
Reviewer: Frances Bulley
Photographer: David Youdell
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