Papa Roach, 25th June 2026, Helviti, Copenhell Festival, Denmark

Archive photo: Zoran www.sonic-shot.com

Nearly three decades after releasing their debut album Old Friends from Young Years, Papa Roach remain one of the few bands to emerge from the original nu metal wave without becoming solely a nostalgia act. While the genre is enjoying a predictable revival in 2026, the Californians have spent the intervening years proving they could survive long after the movement that made them famous faded.

The main stage slot at 6:30 p.m. proved to be the perfect choice. The boiling heat and blazing sun created the ideal setting to welcome the California quartet, and the area in front of Helviti was packed long before they took the stage. From the opening notes of “Even If It Kills Me,” Jacoby Shaddix had the audience in the palm of his hand. It wasn’t just those pressed against the barrier who were fully invested, but also the people gathered further back and even those watching from the hill. That level of engagement barely faded throughout the band’s hour-and-fifteen-minute set.

Papa Roach perform like a well-oiled machine. Jerry Horton, Tobin Esperance and Tony Palermo delivered a tight, energetic performance, with every movement feeling rehearsed without becoming robotic. Years of experience have made the band’s chemistry almost effortless.

Shaddix, however, remains the engine that drives Papa Roach live. Rarely standing still, he made full use of both the stage and the catwalk built for Bring Me the Horizon later that evening, constantly finding new ways to engage the crowd. Whether encouraging massive singalongs, letting the audience carry familiar choruses or simply knowing when to let a riff breathe, he understands how to get the most out of every song. His presence prevented the performance from becoming a simple exercise in nostalgia and instead made it feel immediate and relevant. His gratitude for being able to do what he does comes across as genuine, although his relentless Californian optimism occasionally drifts into self-help seminar territory, culminating in an unnecessary dose of “Lord and Saviour” preaching.

The setlist was packed with hits and smartly sequenced so that the less memorable songs never appeared back to back. There was, however, a particularly cringe-worthy detour into Tupac Shakur’s “California Love” that felt entirely unnecessary. The “Nu Metal Time Machine” segment, featuring excerpts from Korn’s “Blind,” Deftones’ “My Own Summer,” Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff” and System of a Down’s “Chop Suey!,” was another idea that worked far better on paper than in practice. Rather than flowing naturally from one iconic riff into the next, each excerpt was separated by awkward pauses that repeatedly killed the momentum. What should have been a fun celebration of the genre instead felt over-rehearsed and oddly disjointed. Fortunately, any frustration quickly disappeared once the band launched into their own defining contribution to nu metal history: “Last Resort.”

Papa Roach may no longer be one of heavy music’s biggest attractions, but performances like this explain why they have remained relevant for nearly three decades. Despite a handful of unnecessary detours, this was a confident, engaging and thoroughly professional festival performance from a band that has learned how to evolve without forgetting what made them successful in the first place