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Photograph by George Sakkestad Papa Roach's Jacoby Shaddix grins like a madman. Killer Roach Papa Roach gave an explosive performance in Santa Cruz charged by new material By Sarah Quelland THE RANK SMELL that flooded the Catalyst last Friday (Aug. 6) didn't deter fans from going crazy and unleashing a frenzy of human energy that had sweat radiating from floor to ceiling as Papa Roach played its first show in the beach town since March 2000. Santa Cruz was one of the last stops on a national club tour to preview new songs from the band's forthcoming album, Getting Away With Murder (due out Aug. 31), and the show was a hypercharged sonic fuel of big rock, hip-hop and punk rock that ricocheted throughout the club. "Papa Roach is fucking back!" frontman Jacoby Shaddix announced to the crowd. "It's great to be back onstage playing live! It's great to be back in Northern California!" Northern California is home to Papa Roach and full of hard-core fans. From the moment the band launched into "Dead Cell," a pit instantly erupted in the center of the floor. Shaddix was a maniacal live wire, conducting the audience to new levels of intensity with "She Loves Me Not" and "M-80 (Explosive Energy Movement)." He has a way of connecting with fans and making folks in the front feel like old friends. Papa Roach played a mix of highlights from Infest and lovehatetragedy, including "Broken Home," "Blood Brothers," "Life Is a Bullet," "Walking Through Barbed Wire," but after sneaking new song "Not Listening" into the set early on, the band was clearly anxious to get to more of the new material. "You guys wanna hear a new song?" Shaddix asked fans, quickly informing them, "You don't have a fucking choice!" The band played several new ones in a row, starting with "Done With You," a song about addiction that's classic Shaddix with the line "I've got a bad liver and a broken heart." "You're gonna be singing this one with me by the end," Shaddix promised the crowd, as he kicked off "Take Me." Soon, he was down in the thick of the crowd, leading fans in a singalong. The band also played the dark, quiet acoustic number, "Harder Than a Coffin Nail" and commandeered Edwin McCain's "Radio Star," putting a Papa Roach spin on the song. "For those who think we can't hip-hop and rock it, you can suck a dick," Shaddix declared gleefully. Following "Born With Nothing, Die With Everything," Shaddix brought up an old-school fan named Hank. "Take the mic, baby," he said, handing it over to Hank, who proposed to his girlfriend as the Catalyst crowd cheered supportively. After hugs and tears, the newly engaged couple exited the stage. "I've been married seven years," Shaddix said. "That's beautiful." Papa Roach is scheduled to play some festival dates in Europe with Velvet Revolver, which may explain the straightforward cover of Stone Temple Pilots' "Sex Type Thing." Shaddix asked, "You like that shit? Well so do we. We miss Guns n' Roses and STP, but that shit's tight." The band then played a modified version of its own "Between Angels and Insects" that played like a live remix. "The band closed with its explosive hit "Last Resort" and ended the set with a burst of speedy punk rock and Shaddix yelling "Viva la cucaracha!" Visit www.paparoach.com for updates. HOT TOPIC: This Monday (Aug. 16), Johnny V's launches Devil's Night, a weekly no-cover rock & roll bar that promises everything from Slayer to the Cure. Visit www.rockstarsandbitches.com. ... Delta Activity, Day One Symphony and Life With Jonas were voted to participate in the Pacific Art Collective's first PAC Session Las Vegas. Visit www.pacsession.com for full list of winners and more info ... Bands4Bands holds its Fifth Annual BandFest this Saturday (Aug. 14) at the Charles F. Kennedy Community Park Amphitheatre in Union City with live music by area bands Mystic Rage, Stone Vengeance, Days of Rage, Age of Aggression, Kaos, 6AM, Color Black, Blair Hansen and more. Proceeds benefit school music programs in Alameda County. Visit www.bands4bands.com. Papa Roach Photo Gallery Stills from Papa Roach's sweat-drenched concert at the Catalyst, where the band previewed new songs from 'Getting Away With Murder' Web-exclusive photographs by George Sakkestad Vocalist Jacoby Shaddix. Guitarist Jerry Horton. Bassist Tobin Esperance. Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]