Limp Bizkit - Kerrang Tour 2014 at The Olympia Theatre | Review

Limp Bizkit – Kerrang Tour 2014 at The Olympia Theatre, Dublin on February 11th 2014

It’s a strange turn of events that Limp Bizkit have become a somewhat credible garnish in an individual’s music taste. Maybe it’s a damning indictment of where heavy music is at in 2014 that possibly the most derided band of our generation have been embraced by the same audience that angrily rejected them a decade ago. The most puzzling thing about this show however, is the appalling standard of support bands offered up as part of this Kerrang 2014 tour.

Only first act Baby Godzilla come out admirably as they rock diligently through their set in the face of an essentially uninterested crowd. What comes after nosedives into a musical pendulum that swings from the confusing to the absurd. Nekrogoblikon (complete with goblin mascot) are impressive in the sense that they irritate almost everybody in the crowd within the space of one song. Describing themselves as ‘Goblin Metal’, they sprint through a set of bubblegum thrash metal that is as grating as it is redundant. Its acts like this that give heavy music a bad name. Next up are Japanese act Crossfaith. The band hop around onstage for a while, pretending to sip Jameson and waving Irish flags before launching into their set of metalcore that would be palatable enough in its mediocrity except the level of pretension is astounding. Every cliché is pulled out of the hat and injected into a band image that is not unlike watching a heavy metal version of Grease, but with worse songs.

When the lights go down for Fred and Co the excitement in the Olympia is bizarrely infectious. The feeling of nostalgia that surrounds Limp Bizkit now is perhaps their biggest draw but when they launch into 1999 it’s a reminder that they are an accomplished band, and Fred Durst an engaging frontman. It’s his tightrope walk between charisma and being utterly brainless that makes him captivating as he spits out possibly the most nonsensical rhymes ever put on paper with a staggering amount of self- appreciation. Gold Cobra – the one song on offer here that isn’t over a decade old – sounds huge, as do oldies such as My Generation and Break Stuff. Despite the criticism that has been levelled at Limp Bizkit over the years, the fact remains that when the mood takes them they can pen undeniable anthems made for the live arena. It’s hard to explain how difficult it is not to smile as an entire Olympia sings the chorus of Rollin’ in unison on Fred’s command. Of course it’s ridiculous, but to be over-analytical is to miss the point.

That’s not to say the show is perfect. For such precision within the songs the band seemed to take their foot off the pedal way too often. You get the sense that proceedings are being padded out as between songs we are treated to random selections from somebodies Ipod. Also the inclusion of two half-baked Nirvana covers in a twelve song set is frustrating and boring. Closing with Take A Look Around the band recover to round things off on a high note. In the flesh it really is hard to argue with the quality of some of the songs here. How long Limp Bizkit can sustain this embrace and channel it into any sort of real future however, remains to be seen.