Mohegan Sun Arena welcomed Fred Durst and company Wilkes-Barre, Pa May 7, 2022 by Ryan O’Malley
A few months in and 2022 is already proving to be an unpredictable year. It’s a year full of mysterious questions ranging from how much it will cost to take a vacation, to how many times will Tom Brady retire. With everything going the way it’s been, it was time to really surprise people when it was announced that Limp Bizkit, the rap metal outfit who popularized the genre in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, was embarking on a headlining tour of mid to large scale venues.
And just to make sure they are in the running for the “What The Fuck Moment of 2022,” the show is actually enjoyable when you consider the way the band almost spoofs itself nearly twenty years after its heyday. On a recent stop to the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre,Pa. on May 7, the band brought its party atmosphere to a smaller yet energetic crowd who clearly enjoyed seeing the act back out on the road.
To make matters even more perplexing, this tour has a bit of a theatrical feeling with the show kicking off with Fred Durst – the lead singer who made red Yankees hats a trend in the late 90’s – opening the show by sitting in a large recliner on the stage in a one piece outfit before sending a cue to DJ Lethal to start their latest single, “Dad Vibes.” As has been the case with every show since their appearance at Lollapalooza, Durst has traded in his backward hat for a new appearance that basically spoofs middle aged fathers who prefer a 3/4 mustache/goatee, trucker hair and sunglasses look.
Check out the full gallery of photos from that night here.
From the start, you almost want to wonder if Durst is lipsynching because his voice is so spot on. But he’s not. Durst is doing it live and actually sounds remarkable on decades old songs like “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle),” which was an early set highlight that featured some intense drumming from John Otto, a sometimes underrated drummer. An ongoing humorous part of the show features DJ Lethal spinning some records in between songs. Instead of leaning towards artists who fit the Limp Bizkit sound, Lethal would spin brief snippets of songs like “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears, “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” or “Jump Around” from his former band, House of Pain. If you haven’t seen Durst dancing to a Backstreet Boys song dressed like a trucker dad, this is the tour for you.
Other early highlights included a spot-on run through of “My Way,” and “My Generation,” which included Durst calling up a young fan – complete with red hat – from the crowd to join him on stage and dance during the number. Following a brief sample of “Careless Whisper” by George Michael, Lethal kicked off the beginning of their mega hit “Nookie” which elicited one of the biggest pops of the night. Even with the song being two decades old, the extremely tight sounding band was full of energy for the performance, specifically guitarist Wes Borland who, behind his half-mask, was flailing around the stage intensely. As has been tradition with their last few tours, the band played the song until after the second chorus before segueing into “Full Nelson.”
Towards the end of the set, Limp Bizkit brought out some of their biggest hits starting with an abbreviated version of “Re-Arranged.” Keeping up with getting the fans involved, Bizkit invited a fan on stage to help them cover “Killing In The Name” by Rage Against The Machine.” While many crowd participations can be underwhelming, the fan performance in Wilkes-Barre had Durst praising the fan for his solid performance on the number. To wrap up the night, the band did a fake ending complete with the music used to close out a Saturday Night Live episode, until Durst said “hey, let’s give them one more” before Borland broke into the familiar opening to “Break Stuff.” The song featured one of the best pits of the night and sent everyone home with a smile on their face.
Earlier in the night, punk outfit Scowl, electronic rockers WARGASM UK and rapper $not opened the show to moderate approval from the still-arriving crowd. At the end of the night, Durst referred to the shows as the band hosting a party. If you thought the band left the partying behind nearly 20 years ago, this tour – humorously titled “Still Sucks” – is proof that Limp Bizkit is here to stay.
Check out the gallery of photos from that night here.
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