Papa Roach
Live and Murderous in Chicago

THE REVIEW

This is the first commercial DVD by Papa Roach, showcasing one of their concerts in the States, held in Chicago on May 1, 2005.
As soon as the disc is inserted into the player, the screams of Jacoby Shaddix welcome us and make us realize that something really powerful awaits us and curiosity leads us to a manic nervousness, agitating us and creating difficulty even in understanding which button to press to kick off the 20 live tracks of the Vacaville band. Finally, once the audio type is set and the directional button that brings us to the Play Concert option is located, everything begins.

After a brief interlude, showing the quartet reaching the theater in the subway very originally, together with everyday people, narrating how the crowd at Chicago concerts is the warmest and most excited, you suddenly realize you are one of them.
Jacoby starts by shouting a greeting to the delirious crowd watching him from all sides, as the theater, although small, has three rows of balconies plus the floor. Horton's guitar violently spits the first notes of “Dead Cell” and Buckner's explosion with his drums kicks off a setlist of powerful tracks, masterfully interpreted by a gritty, powerful, and never-tiring voice, pushed by a charismatic vocalist like Shaddix. Following are “Not Listening” from the penultimate album “Getting Away With Murder”, then “She Loves Me Not” which ignites the crowd and brings us back to the memory of the excellent “Lovehatetragedy”, “M-80”, which gives an incredible boost after Shaddix has adequately fired up the audience. It continues with “Getting Away with Murder” executed masterfully, to be heard at full volume at any cost, then “Be Free”, “Life is a Bullet”, “Blood”, “Done With You” swiftly move past amidst the screams and the excited faces of the dozens of fans present, who sing stadium chants between songs, guided “alla Fiorello” by Shaddix, who shows himself to be a tireless stage animal, who, while singing, gets emotional and loves to “live” his pieces in the midst of the crowd. 
Then silence falls over the plucking that plays “Harder Than Coffin Nail”, a beautiful piece with whispered vocals, released as a bonus track in the UK. After the relaxing interlude, we jump again with “Blood Brothers” and “Born With Nothing Die With Everything”, the crowd in frenzy, tattooed youths thrown here and there by the hundreds of arms raised to the sky, visibly sweaty security personnel assiduously trying to avoid any capricious stage invasions.
Everything goes perfectly, Jacoby laughs it up, greets, teases the audience, and sings “Hit Me” in an exclusively hip-hop version, thus shorter, and immediately transitions to “Take Me” and the lovely “Scars” which Shaddix says he holds especially dear, enough to close the piece with a few verses of the Spanish version.
Papa Roach has the crowd at their fingertips and Shaddix, amidst some obscene gestures, also entertains and announces “Broken Home”, played and powerfully performed, half sung almost in symbiosis with the audience. Meanwhile, Shaddix, leveraging on random arms, immerses himself in the human river and sings face to face with the first in line, security all hanging onto the singer’s rear as if he might be swept away by Hurricane Andrews. The concert finale is reached with “Cocaine” and the previously interrupted conversation resumes with “Last Resort”, everyone sings, reminiscent of the video shot back in 2000, the crowd in frenzy, an anthem for everyone, even for the undersigned who watches with goosebumps and remote in hand. My stereo connected to the TV is about to explode, whatever, I'll buy another one, it’s worth it. After this shock, the band bids farewell and does the usual fake “pre-encore”, heading backstage but reappearing in the time of a sneeze, just in time to rev us up again with the final “Between Angels and Insects”. The last shall be first... a piece from the first album Infest that appropriately closes one of those live performances that makes you curse not being able to be there. And it continues to make me curse as I may not be able to attend their concert in Milan. At least there’s the DVD...

In conclusion, another very valid work from the four Californians, Papa Roach, who perform their pieces exceptionally and apparently deliver an amazing energy to their concerts, thanks to a charismatic leader who has energy to spare and holds nothing back, not even smiles, showing that he really loves what he does. If you find it in your city, this DVD must absolutely find a spot on your home shelf.