Nu metal emerged in the mid-90’s with bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit leading the way and blending metal with hip-hop, funk and other musical elements. Although the genre peaked in the early 2000’s with the commercial success of bands Linkin Park, the movement has never really died. One of the most resilient and inspiring bands of this genre is (hed) PE. The band formed in Huntington Beach, near Los Angeles, in 1994 and has never stopped recording and touring despite a few line-up changes along the years. (hed) PE is the ultimate shapeshifter metal band with a notably wide-range of influences like metal, hip-hop, reggae and punk amongst others.
Following last year’s success of the Nu Metal Madness tour, Jahred Gomes (vocals) and his band were back touring the US on their Nu Metal Madness 2 tour, alongside Adema and Tantric. The tour ended on May 13th with an almost hometown show in Garden Grove, only a few miles from where the band got its start.
At 6:15pm, Tantric got on stage as the sun was still out and the amphitheater was filling up. The musicians were really good and warmed up the crowd by putting on a great show. Hugo Ferreira (lead singer) expressed his love for California where weed is legal since smoking is an inspiration for him as he wrote a few songs about it. They played a few of their classics like “Mourning” and “Breakdown” from their 2001 self-titled album as well as some more recent material. Their performance was well received and the band left the stage after a 45 minutes set.
Adema, another band that appeared during the golden years of nu metal, was next on the bill. A little after 7pm, the guys got on stage and opened with “Unstable”. Although the nu metal movement might not be what it was 20 years ago, it recently started to regain interest and on the same day of the show, the Sick New World festival was happening in Las Vegas with headlining bands System Of A Down and Korn. Ryan Chuck (vocals) thanked the crowd for being real fans and sticking around as he commented that “all of Los Angeles is in Vegas this weekend”. The band played its classics “Immortal” and “Freaking Out” and the reaction of the audience was incredible. The band thanked (hed) PE for inviting them on the tour and closed their set with “Giving In” as if the crowd needed to get even more hyped up.
By 8:30pm the sun was down and War’s “Low Rider” resonated through the amphitheater. If there was ever a Southern California anthem, it might as well have been it. It is also a signal to let the crowd know that (hed) PE is about to get started. At the exact opposite of what you would expect from a hardcore singer, Jahred appears on stage with a melodica, most commonly used in reggae or dub music. After a short jam to “Low Rider”, the band got into it with close-to-no-transition and played “Peer Pressure” a hardcore punk song from the 2006 Back To Base X album. Throughout the night, a good portion of the setlist came from the classic 2000 album Broke with some of their biggest hits “Bartender” or “Killing Time”. Jahred’s voice goes from singing to rapping to growling from one song to the other or within the same song. And the band transitions from a heavy-metal sound into the reggae song “Let’s Ride”, followed by a short cover of Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up”. Later in the evening the floor turned into a mosh pit while the band played “Raise Hell”, a personal favorite from Only In Amerika (2004). As a tribute to their underground punk roots, (hed) PE also played a cover of Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated”, released earlier this year on their 70’s covers album 70’s Hits From The Pit.
The night was special in so many ways for the band, not only this was the last day of the Nu Metal Madness 2 tour, but it was also a hometown show with band-members’ families and friends in attendance. Trauma (drums) proudly brought his young “covid-baby” son on stage. The night was also special due to the exceptional presence of DJ Product 1969 who was reuniting with (hed) PE on stage. Product officially left the band in 2013 but has since then collaborated with the band on some occasions. However (hed) PE had been performing shows without a DJ to this date since his exit. “Renegade” was the closing song to which the whole audience was singing back every word. The lights turned on and “Low Rider” played back on the speakers before the band slowly left the stage to mingle with their friends and fans.
The Nu Metal Madness tour is over, but (hed) PE has for sure not said their final words. If you ever get a chance to see them live, it is absolutely worth your time and money. The band holds up as one of the best nu metal bands to date.
SETLIST:
Peer Pressure / Killing Time / Let’s Ride / Get Up, Stand Up (Bob Marley cover) /Waiting To Die / Swan Dive / Pac Bell / Crazy Legs / Raise Hell / Sophia / I Wanna Be Sedated (The Ramones cover) / Blackout / Bartender / Renegade
(HED) PE
ADEMA
TANTRIC
Photos + Review by Manuel Gay | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!