Limp Bizkit brings hardcore sound to Bali
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After a bit of boogying last June with '70s disco star Gloria Gaynor and British reggae standout Maxi Priest, Bali will stutter and shout as American nu-metal band Limp Bizkit performs on Friday night.
The band requested a concert date on the island even though most big names head to the capital.
Local promoter Original Production said the performance was also aimed at convincing the world that the country, despite all the negative international press, was a safe place after all.
At press time on Saturday evening, the concert was still going ahead, despite a text message sent to some media that Limp Bizkit had called it off "on the advice of the U.S. (government)".
Tommy Pratama of Original Production said the concert was "... hopefully still on ... there is nothing posted as yet on the Limp Bizkit website". He also noted that the band would be unlikely to cancel a concert at such a late date because of contractual obligations.
Held at the Lotus Pond area of Garuda Wisnu Kencana in the island's south, the concert is part of Limp Bizkit's Summer Sanitarium World Tour -- also including Asian legs in Thailand, the Philippines, Korea and Japan -- which is aimed at promoting its latest album Results May Vary.
A household name all over the world, the band has become one of the most influential groups of late on the heavy music scene. It's mostly owed to their brand of music -- rap-hardcore sound with an infectious hook, angsty lyrics and catchy choruses.
Formed in Florida in 1994, the band has sold close to 30 million records worldwide since the release of 1997's debut album Three Dollar Bill Y'All, whose hit was the screaming version of George Michael's pop classic Faith.
The breakthrough 1999 disc Significant Other sold almost 7.5 million copies in the United States alone, garnering the MTV Video Music Award and Grammy Award nominations.
The band's acclaimed follow-up in 2000, Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water, broke previous rock sales records by selling over one million copies during the first week of its release.
Apart from its music, Limp Bizkit often makes headlines for other reasons, particularly the exploits of vocalist Fred Durst, who has dated the likes of Carmen Electra and Britney Spears.
The band's members have also found themselves in a lot of trouble, such as being sued by fans in July for leaving the stage after 17 minutes for what was expected to be a 90-minute performance in a city near Chicago.
The suit also alleges that Durst let flow a tirade of sexually explicit and anti-gay insults to the crowd before challenging members of the audience to fight.
Another suit was filed by a woman who claimed Durst had thrown a microphone at her in a concert. A fan was also killed in a crowd crush in the band's performance in Big Day Out festival in Australia.
The string of troubles and Durst's bad boy persona has earned Limp Bizkit a legion of fervent detractors and harsh media reports, as well as those intrigued by what they will get up to next.
There are also questions about their talent, such as the comments of American rock producer Ross Robinson, who called the band's music cotton candy and harmful to the state of American rock.
Distressed by criticism urging him to move to Britain, Durst faced another blow when guitarist Wes Borland left the band last year, disagreeing with the band's musical direction which he said was doing too much rap.
After a long audition, the band finally recruited Mike Smith as a new guitarist and went on with the fourth studio album Results May Vary recently.
Containing a cover of the Who's classic Behind Blue Eyes, this album still sticks to the same formula, but presents less rap and more singing.
It has received rave reviews, so perhaps it is not a bad idea to catch the live version of it in Bali.
Aside from airfare to Bali, concert tickets cost Rp 250,000 for each VIP seat and Rp 150,000 for festival class. They can be obtained here at major record stores, or call Original Production at (021) 72794423 for more information and www.limpbizkit.com.