Papa Roach And Rise Against Kicks Off Their 'Rise Of The Roach' Tour In Houston

Thursday night in Houston marked the kickoff of the highly anticipated Rise of the Roaches tour, featuring Papa Roach and Rise Against. The Toyota Center hosted the event, drawing thousands of fans for what promised to be an unforgettable night. When this tour was first announced, I didn’t realize just how much I needed this collaboration in my life. Both bands are celebrating their respective 25-year anniversaries (which, admittedly, makes me feel pretty old), and this marks their first-ever co-headlining tour. With all that in mind, I was absolutely thrilled to witness this iconic moment…especially as I had the privilege of covering and photographing the show to document the festivities.

Opening the night was a band that has been highly influential to me…Florida-born metalcore pioneers, Underoath. Having seen them live many times before, I knew they would set the tone for the rest of the show, and they absolutely delivered. Kicking off their seven-song set with “Loss”, they wasted no time in riling up the crowd and commanding everyone’s attention. Vocalist Spencer Chamberlain was an unstoppable force, exuding more energy than I’ve ever seen from him…which is saying something, considering I’m pretty sure I’ve made that same observation after every Underoath show I’ve covered. But there was something different about this night… maybe it was the excitement of the tour’s opening show? Honestly, I have no idea, but his energy was unhinged. He tore across the stage, leaped from any platform within reach, and fed our souls with a fire we didn’t even realize we needed. Though Underoath’s set was on the shorter side, they still managed to squeeze in a solid lineup of songs, including “Shame”, “All the Love Is Gone”, and fan-favorite “Writing on the Walls”, before closing with “Generation No Surrender”. I couldn’t have imagined a better opener for this tour..it hit all the right nostalgic feels and set the entire night in motion.

Next up was Rise Against, and let me tell you, I was beyond stoked for this set. This is a band I’ve seen many times, but something about this particular show just felt different. The excitement in the arena was thick, there was an electric energy that’s hard to even describe. But nothing, and I mean nothing, compared to that moment when the lights went out and the crowd erupted into screams… It was go time. It was time for Rise Against. They kicked things off with “Re-Education (Through Labor)” and “The Violence”, and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. It was like being a kid in a candy store, singing along while trying to hold my camera steady to capture the moment. After all these years, this band is still tight in every sense…those hard-hitting riffs, the fast drums, Tim’s signature raspy and raw vocals, and, of course, plenty of pyro. Could they have been placed any better? I don’t think so. Each band member was having the time of their lives, almost as if it was their very first show. I’m telling you, the energy was off the charts. These bands were giving everything they had, and the crowd was loving every second of it. Rise Against continued their set with fan favorites like “The Good Left Undone”, “Prayer of the Refugee”, “Ready to Fall”, and “Satellite”, before wrapping up with the crowd pleaser “Savior”. As I mentioned earlier, I couldn’t imagine a better lineup for this tour. With Underoath and Rise Against bringing the adrenaline and intensity, I knew things were about to get even wilder when Papa Roach hit the stage.

It was now the time…the moment most of us had been eagerly waiting for: Papa MF Roach. The OGs. The GOATs. The legends. The performers who leave you stuck to the floor, jaw on the ground, completely unready to go home. Every time I see these guys, I wish I could experience their set all over again because I simply can’t get enough. I knew there would be fire… and lots of it (thanks to the pit security guard) so I positioned myself by the soundboard, ready for whatever was about to come my way. And once that Papa Roach curtain hit the floor, all hell broke loose. The next hour or more was a complete blur. It flew by so quickly I felt like I blinked, and then it was over. This is exactly what Papa Roach does and what they’ve always done…with their one-of-a-kind performances. But let’s rewind… Papa Roach kicked off their 21-song (yes, you read that right) setlist with “Even If It Kills Me”, “Blood Brothers/Dead Cell”, and one of my personal faves, “…To Be Loved”. If we were starting off with banger after banger, I knew things were about to get even crazier in that arena. The crowd was on their toes, jumping, screaming, and raging, fully feeding off the energy pouring from the stage. Then, in a jaw-dropping moment, they surprised us with a 2Pac cover of “California Love”, giving it a heavy Papa Roach twist that left the crowd shook and buzzing with excitement. Let’s be real…these guys know exactly what makes a show unforgettable. Jacoby knows what his fans crave, what fuels their souls, and he’ll do whatever it takes to deliver it. True to form, he went above and beyond, even inserting himself into the crowd to sing alongside the fans at one point.

The most intimate moment of the show came during “Forever”, when they seamlessly blended Linkin Park’s “In the End” into the song. As someone who was completely devastated by the loss of Chester Bennington, I had a feeling this tribute was coming…especially since it was Chester’s birthday, and we all know how close he and Jacoby were. However, I didn’t expect to get as emotional as I did. Even though it’s been years since his passing, it still felt like it happened just yesterday. Papa Roach’s tribute to Chester and suicide prevention in general was absolutely beautiful…it left me in tears, but also smiling at the same time? It was that powerful reminder of how deeply music can reach your soul, and hearing the entire crowd sing along to every word made it even more special. It was simply beautiful. Papa Roach then powered through the rest of a killer setlist, delivering hits like “Scars”, “No Apologies”, “Between Angels and Insects”, and “Infest”, before closing the night with an epic nu-metal cover mix of “Blind”, “My Own Summer”, “Break Stuff”, and “Chop Suey”. They obviously ended with “Last Resort”, and all I can say is: wow. Just wow. This was one of the best shows I’ve ever witnessed, yall.. I still have goosebumps as I type this. Once again, Papa Roach gave us a mind-blowing performance that will absolutely stick with me forever.