CONCERT REPORT: Papa Roach in Chicago (PHOTOS)

Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach, Aragon Ballroom 2017

I finally had a dream come true when I not only got to finally spend some time in the great city of Chicago, but also got to see a fantasy bill I never thought I'd witness: Papa Roach co-headlining with Rise Against. Not only that, it was a hometown gig for Rise Against at a venue I've always wanted to see in person, the Aragon Ballroom.

Aragon Ballroom is unlike any other music hall I've ever been to. Instead of the standard setup of a stage facing an open floor and multiple rows of a balcony, you feel like you're looking out onto some sort of plaza under a night sky in a Van Gogh painting. Words can't do it justice, so here's a photo found in a Google Image search:

As usual, Papa Roach rocked the whole room. At first, I was a little bit nervous because their style of music is so different than Rise Against's furious punk tunes that often get political. Papa Roach is a heavy, futuristic, pop-infused metal (but not Pop Metal mind you). I hoped the Rise Against fans would be receptive to them. Since RA was closing the show, that meant the odds are that the population in attendance was most likely made up of mostly their fans. But there was no need to be worried. There were lots of Roach shirts in the crowd and they knew the words to more than just the early TRL hits, which lately includes "Help", off their current release, Crooked Teeth.  Crowd response was especially great for another Crooked Teeth song, "Born For Greatness." With it's aggressive bouncy intro, it's hard not to be hooked right away into the anthemic, inspiring tune.

Due to the crazy schedule that ensued right after this early December show, I'm a little bit backed up editing the rest of my photos from that night. But they will be posted soon! In the meantime, here are a few from Papa Roach's set that night: