Limp Bizkit at the Best Buy Theater

Fred Durst performed "East You Alive" from the audience

While growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, Fred Durst was interested in breakdancing, hip hop, punk rock and heavy metal. He began to rap, skate, beatbox and deejay. While mowing lawns and working as a tattoo artist, Durst was in several unsuccessful bands, until he convinced bassist Sam Rivers from one of these bands to start a new rap/rock band with him in 1994. Rivers recruited his cousin, drummer John Otto. Guitarist Wes Borland joined a year later. Limp Bizkit quickly became popular in the local underground music scene and then gained international success with albums in 1999 and 2000. The band has sold 40 million records worldwide. Limp Bizkit's long-delayed seventh studio album, Stampede of the Disco Elephants, is awaiting an imminent release date.

The light bulbs blazed in Limp Bizkit's large backdrop sign at the Best Buy Theater tonight and Durst, came onstage in a full bard, an untucked white button-down short-sleeved dress shirt, camouflage cargo pants, sneakers and a white Los Angeles Kings cap. Borland, on the far right side, seemed to be wearing a black rubber body suit, black leather boots and head-covering black mask, although some reports claim a lot of this was body paint; either way, he was almost invisible on the dark stage. The band members launched into "Why Try" with the appropriate opening lyric "Oh no, guess who's back." Durst announced towards the end of the song that he was going to kick it old school and "we're going to party like it's 1999," adding that they were going "retro." He asked the fans to put away their cell phones and he and Rivers repeatedly doused water on all those near the stage who were photographing. Limp Bizkit then performed Ministry’s "Thieves," a cover song rumored to be on the forthcoming album. This led to "Rollin'", "My Way", "Rearrange", "My Generation" and a cover of George Michael’s "Faith," among other songs. The band performed many of the expected songs (no "Nookie," however), but threw in unexpected moments as well , such as a "Master of Puppets" jam and covers of Rage against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" and Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" (Durst claimed Axl Rose was in the audience) . During "Eat You Alive," Durst walked through the audience shaking hands with the fans. Interludes included recorded segments by Ludacris, DMX and 50 Cent. The musicians played like a rock band, but mostly due to Durst's vocals, the Limp Bizkit show was more hip hop than metal. Closing with "Break Stuff," Durst waved to the fans, singing an extended a cappella chorus of the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" before walking off the stage. Maybe that lyric was a fitting closing statement from the 30-year-old band.

Visit Limp Bizkit at www.limpbizkit.com.