Perth received a treat Halloween night, with Limp Bizkit rolling into town on the final leg of their first ever headline shows in Australia. Whilst the lack of supports had most pundits puzzled, Limp Bizkit’s very own touring DJ, Skeletor, did his best to rile the crowd in anticipation of the Bizkit’s show.
With no support band it wasn’t a long wait until the Jacksonville nu-metal veterans took the stage to a jam packed Metro City. As the road crew assisted 20-30 handpicked females from the crowd to stand side of stage to check out the show, no one could have forecast what was going to happen next.
Not wanting to miss out on the Halloween shenanigans and wearing full early ‘90s Guns N’ Roses regatta the band sauntered onto stage. Whilst drummer, Otto and bass player Rivers adorned the blonde wigs and tight pants imitating Steven Adler and Duff McKagan, it was Fred Durst and Wes Borland who went all out to impress.
Wearing tight white bicycle pants, sneakers, oversize hockey jersey and an Axl Rose wig from the pre-dreadlock era, Durst was in his element. Borland chose tight black pants, the Slash locks, a naked torso and the iconic cigarette out of the mouth look. The audience had to look twice to check if it was the great axeman himself such was Borland’s incredible likeness and mannerisms, even down to the swigs of Jack Daniels between songs.
Yes, the Bizkit had come to have fun and they kicked off the night with a cover of the Guns N Roses classic, “Welcome To The Jungle”. The crowd lapped it up after the initial shock with the rendition a far better version than what Axl and his band bought to Australia earlier in the year.
“Rollin” had the crowd in raptures and they stayed that way throughout the entirety of the night with bodies flying, pogo-ing, head banging and singing in unison.
“Ready To Go”, the band’s recent single from forth coming album, Stampede Of The Disco Elephants received its only airing on this tour, with the crowd now in the palm of Durst’s or should we say, Axl’s
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Whilst the mocking continued for the majority of the night it must be said that Durst explained the mimicking, saying “We did this because we love Guns N Roses and we want to see them back together again”. He seemed genuine, though with Durst sometimes it’s hard to tell.
Banter between the crowd and the effervescent front man continued, with the 43 year old singer baiting the crowd to hate him with numerous finger gestures and profanities to all those who looked twice at him. However with the next pause he’d extrapolate how much he was loving the night and the crowd, indulging with, “I wanna come and party with these guys” and “We need to move here”.
Old favourites, “Livin’ It Up” and “My Generation” were played with gusto with the latter trailing off to more GNR coverage, as Durst and Borland shared vocals on the final verse of “Patience”.
The covers didn’t end there, with Nirvana getting the nu-metal treatment to “Heart Shaped Box”; a sped up George Michael’s “Faith”; verses here and there to GNR’s “Sweet Child O Mine”; a DJ Skeletor, Michael Jackson “Thriller” ode and finally the biggest crowd reaction of the night; Rage Against The Machine’s, “Killing In The Name”.
“Re-Arranged” provided the pause needed for occupants of the sweaty mosh pit and its periphery before the band’s aforementioned cover of the RATM classic.
“Take A Look Around” drew a manic response of the wannabe karaoke singers in the crowd with the premises now in full harmony with Durst and band whether in song or movement.
The band had joked and bantered with the crowd long at every opportunity and an encore was not an option, instead the band ploughed on relentlessly, culminating in an almost violent rendition of “Break Stuff”.
Off in the distance the Bee Gees, “Stayin’ Alive” wound back the adrenalin and as Durst and co left the building fans could only hope and wonder when Limp Bizkit would again enter our shores….hopefully soon.
Limp Bizkit Setlist
Welcome to the Jungle (Guns N’ Roses cover)
Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)
Ready to Go
Hot Dog
Gold Cobra
My Generation
Livin’ It Up
Patience (Guns N’ Roses cover) (end verse)
Heart-Shaped Box (Nirvana cover)
Eat You Alive
Sweet Child O’ Mine (Guns N’ Roses cover) (intro & 1st verse)
My Way
Nookie (With more Sweet Child O’ Mine mid way)
Thriller (Michael Jackson cover) (intro only)
Re-Arranged
Killing in the Name (Rage Against the Machine cover)
Faith (George Michael cover)
Take a Look Around
Break Stuff
Stayin’ Alive (Bee Gees cover – DJ Skeletor only)
