Limp Bizkit shows in the United States these days seem hard to come by. Luckily, A Day To Remember was able to grab them as their 2018 headliner for Self Help Festival. Held on Sat. Sept 29th, Self Help was also home to bands such as Asking Alexandria, Nothing More and Beartooth.
Music started at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at 3pm with Sylar while the crowd was still making its way into the pit and seats. With only one stage this year, fans didn’t have to worry about running back and forth to catch the bands they came to see. The lineup certainly had a diverse feel, with each offering something totally different to fans. One of the stand out acts of the day, Turnstile was second to play on the lineup. The group has only been together since 2010 and they looked like they’ve been on stage together much longer. Lead singer Brendan Yates spend his time on stage doing flips and jumps. Their hardcore punk style helped get the small crowd going. Unfortunately most people who attended Self Help missed out on these guys. Things stayed in the same direction with Knocked Loose who played right after. This group definitely had its fan base in the house for their performance. Things shifted gears when rapped Denzel Curry took the stage. Certainly the artist on the lineup that “stuck out,” but was welcomed by the young crowd. Curry himself didn’t spend much time on the stage though. Instead, Curry decided to join the crowd in the pit and perform alongside his fans. It also seemed like Curry drew interest from other bands, such as Fred Durst and Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit who were spotted watching his set.
After Curry’s set, it was back to the metal scene. Beartooth was the first to take the stage afterwards and they sure came out with everything they had. Touring behind their 1 day old release Disease, this band was not screwing around. Singer, Caleb Shomo was on fire leading this band to have one of the best performances of the day. Next up was Nothing More, who have been out of the road for what seems like forever now. These guys have been out supporting their record The Stories We Tell Ourselves, which is just over a year old. For being the road dogs they are, they’re not showing any signs of running out of gas. The only mishap they had during the set was their scorpion tale prop had some technical difficulties. For anyone that hasn’t seen them live, it’s a giant mechanical device that lifts their singer, Jonny Hawkins, high up in their air towards the end of their set. Even with this malfunctioning, Nothing More still impressed every single person in the crowd. With the inside of the amphitheatre now packed full, Asking Alexandria took the stage. With the band back together with original singer, Danny Worsnop, they recently released a self-titled album. This new record was certainly a step in a different direction compared to their old metalcore days. Since they’re touring behind this release, it’s no surprise the majority of their set was new material. Unfortunately, for old fans, 6 out of 10 songs were from Asking Alexandria. The band still sounded great, especially Danny, who took some time away to do some side projects including a country album. Most importantly, the band seemed to be having fun on stage together and have plenty of tours lined up in the next few months.
The festival ended with none other than Limp Bizkit. The band kicked off the set with an extended version of “Full Nelson” while Fred Durst was getting a feel for the crowd. Once Fred got his groove, it was all systems go. Guitarist, Wes Borland, sported an all black suit with his face painted black and white. For anyone who hasn’t followed the Limp Bizkit lineup recently, DJ Lethal was in the house on the tables and John Otto was keeping the beat going on the drums. The only member missing from the original lineup was bassist Sam Rivers, who has been out due to medical reasons. The group stuck with mostly songs from Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, such as “Hot Dog,” “Rollin’” and “My Generation”. Missing from the setlist were songs such as “Faith,” “Nookie” and “Behind Blue Eyes.” Even though a lot of hits were missing and the set was on the shorter side, Bizkit puts on a party. Durst’s interaction with the crowd was top notch as he made his way into the crowd and stayed there for a portion of the set. Even Wes hopped in the crowd with his guitar to join in on the fun. The band also dug into some covers such as “Killing In the Name” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Hopefully sometime in the near future, Limp Bizkit can release their long awaited Gold Cobra follow up which has been named Stampede of the Disco Elephants. Regardless if a new album comes out or not, the United States is certainly due for a full fledged Limp Bizkit tour.
