20-07-2025
Bluesfest Day 8: Papa Roach, Daughtry didn't totally suck
Saturday evening at Bluesfest was a night of tattoos and testosterone as two American bands, Papa Roach and Daughtry, delivered back-to-back slabs of pounding modern rock on the RBC main stage.
In the headlining spot was Papa Roach, a nu metal outfit from the 90s, while warm-up duties went to Daughtry, the band formed around 2006 American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry.
The combination of male-dominated acts from the turn of the century drew thousands of dads and dudes alike to the plaza of the Canadian War Museum at LeBreton Flats Park. Many of the older fellas sported plastic ponchos to ward off the light rain that started during Papa Roach's set. The younger ones, on the other hand, simply flung themselves into the melee.
On stage, Roach singer Jacoby Shaddix was the spike-haired, foul-mouthed centre of a loud and powerful rock show. He spat lyrics into the microphone, bantered between songs and basked in the glory of the spotlight as his four bandmates cranked it out behind him.
At one point, Shaddix wondered who had seen the Green Day show the previous night.
'You guys had an epic week of music,' he said, noting that his band and Green Day are both from the same area in California. 'We used to go see them back in the day. It's awesome to be on the same festival with a band as iconic as Green Day.'
While I wouldn't normally mention Green Day and Papa Roach together in any capacity, I have to say that Shaddix and his crew rose to the occasion at Bluesfest, perhaps inspired by the buzz over Green Day's show. Whatever the rationale, they did a fine job on the big stage, demonstrating the power to impress even the stodgiest classic-rock fan.
For Roach, the show was part of a tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their breakthrough album, Infest, an occasion that called for tracks like Blood Brothers, Dead Cell, Between Angels and Insects, Last Resort and Infest to be played with maximum intensity.
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haddix, who's 45, was relentless in enticing fans to crowd surf, mosh, scream, pump their fists and light up their phones. Those up front were quick to oblige, shoving each other around with abandon as the show progressed.
The rap-rockers also showed a serious side, delivering a message of suicide awareness via prerecorded video and a song, Leave a LIght On (Talk Away the Dark) to remind listeners that the first step in dealing with mental health is to talk about it.
'Our band has talked about mental health since the beginning of our career,' Shaddix said, recalling the scores of young fans he's met over the years. 'There's no greater feeling than when somebody says, 'Your music saved my life.'
He said the band intends to make a donation to a suicide prevention line in each city they play, including Ottawa. Plus, he hinted at a return appearance this fall.
Earlier in the evening, following an energetic set by the Ottawa pop-punk band, We Were Sharks, Chris Daughtry embarked on a cathartic journey with his namesake band. The 45-year-old, whose chiselled arms were blacked-out in tattoo ink, sang with an emotional resonance that belied his macho appearance, displaying a voice that was capable of wailing in anguish or soothing with a warm intimacy.
He revisited early hits like Home and It's Not Over, but the highlight was a duet with his 14-year-old daughter, Adalynn, that showed he wasn't much different than the other doting dads in the audience.
lsaxberg@
