A pounding Korea debut from Limp Bizkit

The crowd of more than 4,000 went wild when Limp Bizkit walked onstage for the first time in Korea.
The show on Thursday at Jamsil Stadium in southern Seoul blasted off with Fred Durst, the lead vocal of the five-member American rap-metal band, reciting the famous cheer, “Daehanminguk,” which was chanted on every street corner last summer during the World Cup soccer games. The energized crowd instantly responded, raising their hands and waving to the beat.
Durst’s skater shorts caught the attention of the ladies in the crowd, who screamed at his every move. Despite security efforts to stop picture-taking, camera flashes and cellular phone cameras were kept working by those bent on capturing the show for posterity.
Limp Bizkit has drawn raves around the world for their hard-driving hip-hop samples and scratching, mixed with a distinctive electric guitar. They pound out a stronger and funkier beat than similar bands of their genre like Rage Against the Machine or Korn.
But what drove the Seoul crowd into a tantrum were the rebellious skater-boy looks and improvisational tangents, proving once again that the band knows how to rock the house in any corner of the globe.
The band got it going with “Generation X,” which launched the crowd into a jumping frenzy, creating a massive tidal wave.
Without warning, Durst jumped into the crowd, was hoisted on shoulders, or even popped up from the rear of the unsuspecting crowd for added effect.
When, halfway through the show, Durst said, “It’s almost over” in a gentle voice, the rowdy fans begged for more to satisfy their hunger for a good time. Durst responded, “It’s the title of a song!”
The departure of Wes Borland, the band’s original guitarist, was bemoaned by many fans since Borland’s freaky stage shows were quite entertaining. Borland, known to be a huge science fiction and horror buff, would appear in the likeness of an alien from some nation of robots. A raving performance by Bizkit’s new guitarist, Mike Smith, did satisfy.
Limp Bizkit may not be the only rap-metal group on the planet but they sure know how to lead a concert and give everyone a taste of rambunctious entertainment. When Durst stripped off his shirt at the end, the ladies could not have been happier.

by Lee Ho-jeong