Gig

Limp Bizkit - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 8th December @ John Cain Arena, Melb VIC

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

Dec 9, 2023

7 min read

Limp Bizkit
John Cain Arena, Melb VIC
December 8, 2023
Support: Zheani

The Limp Bizkit renaissance is in full swing and boy, I am absolutely here for it! After three appearances at Good Things Festival over the last week and a couple of sideshows, the mighty LB closed out their latest Australian expedition in fine form at John Cain Arena on Friday night.

Zheani’s set was certainly an experience and neither myself nor the majority of the crowd knew quite what to make of it. No slight on them as an artist, it just seemed like a wildly puzzling choice for a Limp Bizkit support act.

In no time, the stage was set, and the crowd was ready for the Bizkit party to begin. The band took the stage and frontman Fred Durst advised the audience that he had been battling a virus for a number of days and was very much down with the sickness. He concluded this announcement by with a warning: “I feel like shit. My suggestion is you keep your distance because right now I’m dangerous”, which cued Wes Borland to launch into the iconic ‘Break Stuff’. In a matter of seconds, the entire arena erupted, and it was on.

The set had everything you’d expect from a Limp Bizkit setlist and was largely made up of classic cuts from Chocolate Starfish & The Hot Dog Flavoured Water. All of the big ones were in there, ‘My Generation’, ‘Livin’ It Up’, ‘Rollin’, ‘Take A Look Around’ etc, but I was particularly stoked to finally see deep cuts ‘Full Nelson’ and ‘Boiler’ live for the first time. I was also incredibly surprised that they randomly busted out their cover of The Who’s ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ as well as treating the audience to a mini Nirvana medley made up of ‘Heart Shaped Box’ and ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’.

Bizkit play by their own rules, and we wouldn’t have it any other way because they just do it all so well.

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But, I have to admit that I was quite disappointed that the band didn’t play a single song from their epic 2021 album Still Sucks. The set wasn’t too dissimilar to that which we saw when they were here for Download 5 years ago and I have been dying to see ‘Out Of Style‘ live because it’s literally the best riff of the last decade (I’m right, deal with it). While I understand it’s important to play the hits and fan favourites, it would’ve been nice to see a little more variety and more of their discography covered.

In case it wasn’t enough to get it once, the band concluded their set with another performance of ‘Break Stuff’ which prompted the crowd to go absolutely ballistic in the pit. I guess you really can’t have enough of a good thing eh. The 70-minute set was a non-stop party and a sea of white t-shirts and red caps flooded out of John Cain Arena with gleeful smiles on their faces.

Wes Borland is a talent like no other. The man just exudes cool in everything he does and getting to see him effortlessly jaunt around the stage in his latest vibrant stage outfit while crushing every part was a treat. What an absolute legend.

I have to give enormous props to Durst for his performance. Although it was clear that he was under the weather, the man gave it his absolute all for well over an hour, keeping the energy up the entire time and his genuine appreciation for the crowd was lovely to witness. It’s been great to see Limp Bizkit’s resurgence in recent years and I’m so glad to just see them having the best time doing the thing they do best.

Review by Nicholas Simonsen @blackechomusic

Photo Gallery by Clinton Hatfield. Insta: @ampd.agency.
Please credit Wall of Sound and Clinton Hatfield if you report photos.

Zheani

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