Limp Bizkit, Auckland NZ, 2023

Limp Bizkit

26th November 2023
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. So when it was announced that Limp Bizkit would be performing a headliner show at Spark Arena as a quick side trip from Good Things festival in Australia, those who were wise snapped up the tickets.

Those who scoffed were soon left with serious fomo when the allocation was quickly exhausted, many scrabbling on trade me and Facebook, trying to secure their place at the show.

Entering the arena, that nostalgia was clearly on display, parents with their kids in the seated area and the mosh pit a sea of mostly black shirts and varying generations from middle aged dads reliving the days on a night out through to those barely old enough to get into the clubs, all rubbing shoulders and grinning from ear to ear.

Those grins only got wider when support act Hanabie. (meaning chilly spring weather) arrived. The Japanese metalcore band may have seemed like a strange choice to some, but when they started performing it all made sense.

Formed in Tokyo in 2015, the all-female band who were high school friends combine elements of everything from hardcore punk through to hip hop and electronica. Throw in their Harajuku aesthetic and visually the band are a feast for the eyes. And then they start to play.

Hanabie are absolute creatures in their respective fields, from the terrifyingly good vocals of lead singer Yukina, who mixes clean vocals with growls that make her sound like she was recently possessed by lucifer himself, through to Matsuri on guitar and vocals, shredding the strings like an absolute pro while looking like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.

Throw in Hettsu on bass and Chika on drums and the Japanese quartet are something else that has to be seen live to be truly appreciated; Yukina so full of energy that she almost levitated at some points as she leapt into the air, and then slammed onto her knees as she delivered yet another toe-curling growl. With a set that included tracks such as ‘Neet Game’, ‘Today’s Good Day & So Epic’ and ‘TOUSOU’ it was no wonder that the audience were soon screaming back “arigatou” (thank you) to Hanabie.

Interval time saw the mosh pit quickly turn into a giant tin of sardines as people jostled for the best spot, the camaraderie between the fans palpable, their united cry of celebration as Limp Bizkit arrived on stage to ‘Pure Imagination’ from Willy Wonka almost heart-warming. Yes, everyone in that room indeed felt like they had won the golden ticket.

“Keepin it real like a Kiwi!” lead vocalist Fred Durst declared to the crowd as Limp Bizkit wasted no time in getting straight into it with ‘Show me what you got’, Durst himself looking like a member of the Grateful Dead with a giant mop of grey curls atop his head and a Randy Savage t-shirt in psychedelic colours.

Looking across the stage and it was the most interesting collection of band members you could ever imagine; DJ Lethal perched behind a podium, looming out over the crowd, while Wes Borland, well known for his costumes sported a custom white suit covered in small pastel-coloured flowers, a hybrid helmet on his head that featured a full beard of what looked like giant teeth.

Tucked over to the right hand of the stage, drummer John Otto held down the skins beside Sam Rivers on bass.

“We are going to party like it is 1999!” Durst exclaimed as they jumped into ‘Hot Dog’ the first track of the night to get the mosh pit seriously moving; arms flailing widely as bodies crashed into each other, those down the front in the thick of it loving every second.

Pausing to address the audience properly, Durst thanked one and all for coming and choosing to spend their time with the band, before apologising for what he referred to as “the ridiculous and shitty ticket prices” to be there. Showing their appreciation by cheering as loudly as possible, Durst joked about how during the show all the beer would be free and the water only $20 a bottle. Good to see that Durst still has that dry sense of humour that shoots straight from the hip.

‘Rollin’ got the crowd singing in unison while a cover of Rage Against the Machines ‘Killing in the Name’ did much the same, a taped snippet from Pantera’s ‘Walk’ already hyping up the mosh pit earlier (thanks DJ Lethal). Durst laughing as he reminded everyone that he did say they were going to party like it was 1999.

But it was during ‘My Generation’ that really brought home the fact that whether you love em or hate em, Limp Bizkit were instrumental in making the nu metal scene what it was; their album Chocolate Starfish and The Hot Dog Flavoured Water released twenty-three years ago catapulting them into the limelight, the pure angsty feeling of the whole record still resonating with those who bought it over two decades ago and those who are only stumbling across it now.

Spotting a young fan in the front rows, sitting atop his dad’s shoulders with a sign advising that it was his first concert, Durst paused and invited him on stage. The young man by the name of Van looked nervous at first, but soon threw himself into finishing the song with Durst, the crowd ecstatic.

There was no denying that Limp Bizkit were on fire; cohesive and playing off against each other – Borland and Durst in particular leading the charge – the band were tight, each and every track delivering the goods, those down on the floor bouncing in unison. At one point Durst threw out water bottles encouraging everyone to share it around and look after each other, the crowd obviously listening to him as those who went down were scooped up and thrown back into the thick of it with smiles a mile wide.

‘Boiler’, ‘My Way’ and ‘Nookie’ left everyone breathless, Borland throwing in some tasty solos here and there while DJ Lethal ruled the decks, Durst effortlessly delivering every track. A cover of George Michaels ‘Faith’ was a welcome addition, Lethal killing it as the fans went wild during the raucous chorus.

“Tom Cruise asked us to never play this song again” Durst announced as the opening notes of ‘Take a Look Around’ fell from Borland’s guitar, the song used on the Mission Impossible 2 soundtrack still popular as all hell. Bringing the pace down for just for a moment, ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ the The Who cover used for the film Gothika saw the audience join together in song, Durst visibly impressed by the thousands of voices that sang it with the reverence it deserved.

The set had flown by in the blink of an eye, and while the fans would have been happy to have kept on going well into the night, all good things must come to an end, but if it had to end, Limp Bizkit were going to make sure it was going out on a high.

With the smell of roses still faintly wafting across the front rows, courtesy of Borland who had been tossing them out just a few minutes earlier, the opening notes of ‘Break Stuff’ featuring Borland’s signature down tuned riffs elicited howls of excitement, each and every fan giving it their all till the last precious second, the floor of Spark Arena being given the workout of its life as fans jumped in unison.

Haters may refer to them as ‘Dad Rock’, but Limp Bizkit proved emphatically last night just why they are still headlining festivals across the world; providing not only infectiously good music but songs that will give a voice to generations for years to come yet.

Limp Bizkit:

Hanabie.

Were you there at Spark Arena for this high energy gig? Or have you seen Limp Bizkit perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

1. Show Me What you Got
2. 9 Teen 90 Nine
3. Hot Dog
4. Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)
5. Killing In The Name [Rage Against the Machine cover]
6. My Generation
7. Re-Arranged
8. Dirty Rotten Bizkit
9. Boiler
10. My Way
11. Nookie
12. Gold Cobra
13. Faith [George Michael cover]
14. Take A Look Around
15. Behind Blue Keys [The Who cover]
16. Break Stuff

_{Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.}

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