Papa Roach Deliver a High-Impact, Crowd-Driven Night in Kitchener

A crowd of over four thousand packed the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on Friday night as Papa Roach, The Used, and Sleep Theory turned the Rise of the Roach Tour into one of the loudest shows the venue has hosted this year. What unfolded was a night built on heavy production, crowd interaction, and the kind of personal moments that have kept Papa Roach connected to fans for 25 years.

Sleep Theory opened the evening with a sharp, confident set that quickly drew the early audience to their feet. “Fallout” and “Gravity” set the pace, while “Parasite” and “Words Are Worthless” triggered the first real movement on the floor. By the time “Static” closed their set, the room was fully warmed up.

The Used kept the energy high with a run of fan favourites. “Pretty Handsome Awkward” and “Take It Away” hit instantly, followed by the emotional pull of “The Bird and the Worm,” “I Caught Fire,” and “All That I’ve Got.” Their closing burst—“A Box Full of Sharp Objects” with a nod to “Smells Like Teen Spirit”—left the room buzzing for the headliner.

When the curtain dropped for Papa Roach, the scale of the production became immediately clear. Two tall risers framed the stage—drums positioned on the right, keys and percussion on the left. A giant curved video screen stretched behind them, shifting visuals to match every song.

Smoke cannons blasted across the front of the stage, while flames erupted both in front of and behind the risers. The combination of screens, fire, and smoke cannons gave the performance an unmistakably massive, high-impact presence.

The band tore into “Even If It Kills Me,” followed by “Blood Brothers” and “Dead Cell,” and the floor erupted. Jacoby Shaddix hit the stage wearing his Blood Brothers jacket. He called the crowd “my fellow cockroaches,” then jumped straight into the pit, finishing a song while balancing on the rail and gripping a fan’s hand for support. He spotted the now-famous banana man in the circle pit and shouted, “Are you the same banana from Toronto last night?” A moment later he added, “Kitchener is louder than Toronto,” and the crowd made sure to live up to it.

Throughout the night, Shaddix opened up about personal milestones. He mentioned being 13 years sober, offered an RIP dedication to Chester Bennington, and took time between songs to thank fans for sticking with the band through every chapter. Before “Leave a Light On (Talk Away the Dark),” a prerecorded video message played calling attention to suicide prevention and the 988 helpline, echoing the band’s long-running mental health advocacy. He reminded the audience that $1 from every ticket on the tour goes to charity. After the final note of the song, the entire arena held a moment of silence before “Scars” lifted the room again.

The crowd became part of the show repeatedly. Early in the set, Shaddix wished a fan happy birthday from the pit. He later returned to give Nolan several T-shirts, prompting a chant of “Nolon, you rock, dude!”” The singer made his way through the crowd to the back of the arena, high-fiving fans along the way, similar to what Gavin Rossdale from Bush did when he played Kitchener in May. Whether onstage or deep in the stands, he treated the arena like one big circle of friends rather than a distant audience.

The second half of the set hit hard with “BRAINDEAD,” “Help,” and “Born for Greatness,” backed by three floor toms, layered percussion, rhythm guitar. A drum-and-bass feature gave Tony Palermo and Tobin Esperance a moment to drive the room before the final sprint.

The encore leaned into the band’s history, starting with “Between Angels and Insects” and “Infest,” both delivered with the same force they carried decades ago. Shaddix again chose to perform much of it from the floor instead of the stage. A rapid-fire medley of “Blind,” “My Own Summer (Shove It),” “Break Stuff,” and “Chop Suey” sent the crowd into a frenzy before the night closed the only way it could: “Last Resort,” screamed back by every person in the building.

The Kitchener stop wasn’t just another date on a long tour. It felt like a celebration of endurance, connection, and the legacy of a band still pushing forward after 25 years. Between the production, the personal moments, and the constant back-and-forth with the crowd, Papa Roach turned the Aud into one massive family for the night—loud, sweaty, chaotic, and completely unforgettable.

Special thanks to Mahlet Sintayehu at Live Nation for providing press accreditation for this show.

Sleep Theory

The Used

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Drew Osborne

I’m Drew, the founder and editor of Front of the Stage. I have a strong love for music and photography, which started at a very young age. There’s just something I love about experiencing live music and capturing memories that will last a lifetime, and that’s how Front of the Stage came to be.