6 December 2023 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane – words by Cody-James Henderson – pictures by Tam Schilling
If the 2020s have taught us anything, is that what we once despised we will come around to liking eventually. Gone are the days of being scorned by saying you’re a Nu Metal fan, and in are the days of Red Caps getting raps from these critics once again. Thats right, everyone’s favourite rollin’ rap metal group ‘Limp Bizkit’ are back in Australia for some headline shows coinciding with ‘Good Things’.
Each show down Australia’s east coast would go on to sell out in just days, showing that the once controversially loved Nu Metal Icons are now just unanimously loved by fans old and new. As the band begins to wrap up their time in Australia, we decided to head down to ‘The Fortitude Music Hall’ to catch the Significant Others in action.
Zheani: As a vortex spirals on what appears to be an almost white board looking projector screen, the crowd eagerly anticipates Zheani. As the lights go down, and an eerie synth fills the room, Zheani casually enters the stage in an almost possessed doll like aura.
The best way to describe her bizarre, yet oddly charming demeanour is if Olivia Rodrigo was a trap-horror style artist. For a solo act, she filled each part of the stage as if she was her own band and never opted to stay still. The artist from Central Queensland opted to tell us a bit about herself through emotional heaviness and even if the crowd was oddly confused about what was going on, I have to say I was really enjoying it.
“Any mutts like me from central Queensland in tonight?” It’s hard to see someone who has a genuine gift and talent have it sculpted by so much pain and self deprication. But I guess that’s where the truest art can come from.
“Fuck the Hollywood Cult, am I right?” An anti-entertainment anthem about the youth falling victim to the trap of Glitz and Glamour of Hollywood. A stand out performance and something worth checking out especially in a world where the horrors of the entertainment world are there for everyone to know.
Also, shout out to Zheani for making her own backdrop with the aforementioned Projecter & Screen. The additional level of theatrics really helped drive home the thematic values of her music. And t may not have been a performance for everyone, but man what a performance it was.
In between sets, I found it increasingly difficult to navigate throughout the venue. It definitely felt as if there was more people indoors than what could possibly be designated. I get bands are popular and people want to see them, but the safety of those in the venue is also top priority.
Boasting an unorthodox stage set up (DJ Lethal being centre stage 10 feet above the stage on a riser and the drums off to the stage right side) the room was ready for Bizkit. And they were sure to let you know just how ready they were when the lights went down.
A casual waltz out on stage to ‘Pure Imagination’ from the Willy Wonka soundtrack soon turned into ‘Dirty Rotten Bizkit’ from the bands latest album ‘STILL SUCKS’. To say the room was bouncing would be an insult to bouncing. The energy was incredible.
“I kind of like how intimate this place is” frontman Fred Durst tells the sardine packed crowd that was spilling out into the foyer. See what I mean by the venue was overpacked? I digress.
“Yesterday I came down with some crazy flu or something” it seems to be common that a lot of acts on the Good Things line up have been battling an illness as of late. But Freddy D didn’t stop it from taking us back to ’99 with ‘Show Me What You Got’.
Now I know the younger crowds have been getting into Limp Bizkit over the last few years, so I was expecting to see a couple of teenagers in the crowd. But I wasn’t expecting to see families having a nice middle of the week outing at a Limp Bizkit show. Babysitters might be hard to come by, so why not bring your children under 8 to a Nu Metal show? Might as well get them started young. I’m sure they will learn a brand new word they can teach their friends as ‘Hot Dog’ causes one hell of a frenzied sing along. It took me a while to learn what a ‘chocolate starfish’ was, so have fun explaining that one mum and dad.
I admire those who dressed in their best Fred Durst cosplay. A sea of red yankee caps, oversized tees and JNCO jeans filled the music hall. I need more Wes cosplayers however. And everyone gave their best impressions when the room was told what time it was. ‘Rollin’ as popular as it is, still surprised me at the energy the crowd fed to the band. Word for word was emphasised back at Bizkit even harder than the band gave it. And let me tell you, Bizkit wasn’t giving it less than 110%.
There was no dead space between songs. If the band was busting out snippets of covers, DJ Lethal was filling in the time with mixes and mash ups to keep heads bopping. And even if it did go quiet for a moment, John Otto came in to take us to the Matthews bridge. If there was just one song the crowd was here to see, it was absolutely ‘My Generation’. As a matter of fact, the band could’ve just played exclusively ‘Chocolate Starfish & The Hot Dog Flavour Water’ and I don’t think the audience would’ve objected.
Bringing a fan to the stage to duel him in ‘Full Nelson’ even in sickness, Fred Durst still gives his all not just in performance but in his vocals. The man was tired, but he refused to dial in a performance. But a shout to Jake from ‘Bris-Vegas’ who absolutely brought the heat and delivered one of the best audience member performances I have witnessed.
It was a hit parade from there on in, with the likes of ‘Re-Arranged’ and ‘Boiler’ filling in some popular deep cuts. And by the time ‘Faith’ came around, you could see Fred was struggling with his illness. But he gave it his all when ‘Break Stuff’ signalled the beginning of the end. To see everyone who was waiting in the foyer for a drink or catching their breath get a second wind was absolutely amusing, but if you know your Bizkit you don’t want to miss it. All hail the white boy national anthem. It delivered one hell of an ending.
This wasn’t going to be a Woodstock ’99. But it was a Brisbane ’23. After spending a career plagued with a lot of hate directed their way, Limp Bizkit brought together a set of unity and unfathomable energy. Love or hate ’em, there’s no denying that the Bizkit puts on a quality show from start to finish.
