Limp Bizkit Lollapalooza Recap: How Fred Durst & Co. Won

This is how Limp Bizkit conquered Lollapalooza on Saturday – and the Internet:

Fred Durst’s aging rocker theater

The leader of Limp Bizkit startled many of the Lollapalooza people when he strolled onto the stage with a head full of gray hair; whether this look was completely authentic or not (variations of “Is that a wig? wise, winking father figure, quieter than in his backward hat time, but ready to confuse it with the children if necessary.

During the hour-long set, Durst playfully hit his ass, played a heartwarming air guitar next to the show’s sign language interpreter, giggled next to longtime turntable specialist DJ Lethal and danced with a movement that was somewhere between a strut and a shimmy. There were moments when the polarizing agitator of the turn of the century bubbled to the surface: a defensive introduction to “Nookie” about how people misunderstood his lyrics, and an annoyed nod towards a newly published documentary (“Let me make so clear: that’s not Woodstock ’99. F – k all these cops – t “explained Durst). But for the most part, Thirst was friendlier and more cuddly than ever, his behavior toward Lollapalooza arguably more unexpected than his looks.

Wes Borland’s guitar wizardry

If Durst’s performance hit the headlines, Limp Bizkit’s seasoned guitarist with a white mask covering half his face and billowing black hair, of course, was another eye-catching personal presentation in a career full of them. However, instead of getting noticed on stage, Borland simply reminded Lollapalooza why he’s one of the most underrated ax fighters in rock. Borland spent Saturday afternoons devouring crisp riffs, injecting songs like “Break Stuff” and “Nookie” with muscular versions of their guitar lines, and then effortlessly freely styling them around the edges. He was the technical all-star of the performance, an imposing figure that other guitarists who performed throughout the Lollapalooza lineup on Saturday simply couldn’t match.

The tribute & shout outs

Part of the fun of seeing Limp Bizkit at Lollapalooza in 2021 was seeing how they fit into a festival program that, unlike its heyday, wasn’t dominated by rock artists, but plenty of space for hip-hop and hip hop Pop mainstage acts. A generational conflict arose when Limp Bizkit’s set ran at the same time as Megan Thee Stallion’s set on the other end of Grant Park; Durst checked the aspiring rap star’s name several times during the Limp Bizkit set and was amazed at the thump of her sub-bass, which was faintly audible all over the park. Meanwhile, the evening’s headliner, Post Malone, received the official thirst seal. “He’s a bad motherfucker,” Durst told the crowd. “I like his style.”

Between her own songs, however, Limp Bizkit paid homage to her fellow artist who died in 2021. Fans raised their arms in an X as DJ Lethal dropped DMX’s “Party Up,” a nod to the late rapper who was once on the band “Rollin ‘(Urban Assault Vehicle)” and sang on “Just a Friend “when he played Biz Markie’s classic. Both moments were relatively quick, but added a little extra weight to a sentence that didn’t strive to be too serious.

The vaccine championship

“It’s amazing that something like this can happen,” noted Durst in the middle of the show, referring to the festival itself rather than the pandemic. “Are you so happy to be out of the F-King’s house?” After a few cheers after the lockdown, Durst asked: “How many people have been vaccinated?” After a generous roar from the audience, the singer looked impressed: “That’s very cool, very considerate, very considerate of you,” he replied.

Amid concerns about the Delta variant and the fact that Lollapalooza would lead to a spike in COVID cases – yes, there were moshpits full of teenagers on Saturday and no, they weren’t wearing masks – thirst at least got into the pro Vaccine camp to revitalize the festival industry and keep the shows going safely. If Durst frames the vaccination in a positive way in this way and convinces a few festival-goers to get a vaccination as soon as possible, then that is a win for everyone.

The hits

One of the reasons Limp Bizkit became a blockbuster sales band around the turn of the century? They had some definite blasts – songs that even the most loyal reviewer would admit were undeniably catchy. Durst and Co. didn’t tiptoe around these songs at Lollapalooza, with “Break Stuff”, the first full song to be played, “Rollin ‘” in a row with “Nookie” and their breakthrough hit, an awesome cover by George Michaels “ Faith, ”leads into her Mission: Impossible 2 Title song “Take a Look Around”.

A longer setting time would have made more deep cuts, but Limp Bizkit only had an hour to attract the festival people, with the largest balls in their respective chambers. Die-hard fans who had been waiting for this moment for years, as well as Lollapalooza-goers who stopped by on their way to other sets, banded together to shout, “Stick it up your YEAH! Stick it on your YES! ”On a Saturday afternoon in Chicago, and in that moment Limp Bizkit was back on top.