For many, P.O.D (Payable on Death) will be remembered as an essential band on skating playlists of the early millennium, with their edgy sound and their earworm singles ‘Alive’, ‘Boom’ and ‘Youth of the Nation’. Two decades later, and back with new album ‘Circles’ and nu metallers were in Belfast as part of the accompanying world tour.
Photo: Warren Blair.
By Jessica Blair.
For many, P.O.D (Payable on Death) will be remembered as an essential band on skating playlists of the early millennium with their edgy nu-metal sound and their earworm singles ‘Alive’, ‘Boom’ and ‘Youth of the Nation'. You could be forgiven for thinking like many bands of that era, they had disappeared into obscurity, but with the release of their 2018 album ‘Circles’ and accompanying world tour with Alien Ant Farm, they have proven they are still very much alive.
The nu metal era may be no more than a loud and brash memory, but as the lights darkened in Belfast’s Limelight on Wednesday night (13th March 2019), before a single note had been played attendees were transported back to the late 90s, as the speakers blared with Linkin Park’s ‘In The End’, in tribute to the late Chester Bennington.
Despite battling technical difficulties, P.O.D. took to the stage with a bang, or rather, with 'Boom', the explosive single from 2001's 'Satellite', as lead singer Sonny Sandoval announced, “Let’s make the most of this beautiful day, my friends!”
With mosh pits pulsating from the off, the pumped band continued with ‘Rock the Party (Off the Hook)’, and the first track from their latest offering, in a dizzying ‘Panic Attack’. Blazing through at an impressive pace, the San Diego rockers continued with a passionate ‘Murdered Love’ and a pummeling ‘Will You’, with the crowd screaming back to sweat-soaked front man Sonny Sandoval, who bounded around the stage with seemingly endless energy.
With the eighteen-song set balancing tracks from right across their two-decade career, there was also plenty of focus on ‘Circles’. Injecting life into an already hyper gathering, the bass-heavy ‘Rockin’ with the Best’ and ‘Soundboy Killa’ really got the crowd moving, with bassist Traa Daniels nimble skills underpinning the grove-heavy track.
With energy levels seemingly at a peak, Sonny and guitarist Marcos Curiel frenzied the crowd to new levels, with the punky ‘Without Jah, Nothin’. Cheering on the geared-up crowd (but reminding everyone “to have fun, look out for each other”), the pair did their bit for equal opportunities too, by encouraging a female-only mosh pit, “so everybody has a fun night, making memories”.
Continuing through at rapid fire pace, ‘Listening for the Silence’ offered a change of tone, with its slow moody beats subduing the set just long enough for everyone to catch their breath. Bringing the evening to its conclusion, old school ‘Snuff the Punk’-era classic ‘Who’s in this House’, ended the night, before the band signed off with a teasing; “Until next time, Belfast!”
The times may have changed since the early millennium, with nu-metal’s time in the spotlight long gone, but it’s clear that P.O.D still have a strong stance in the metal world, and they certainly have the crowds to prove it.
Click HERE for eonmusic's interview with Traa Daniels.
Like this story? Like us on FaceBook and follow us on Twitter for regular updates & more of the same.
Check out our gallery from the show below. All photos by Warren Blair.
For many, P.O.D (Payable on Death) will be remembered as an essential band on skating playlists of the early millennium with their edgy nu-metal sound and their earworm singles ‘Alive’, ‘Boom’ and ‘Youth of the Nation'. You could be forgiven for thinking like many bands of that era, they had disappeared into obscurity, but with the release of their 2018 album ‘Circles’ and accompanying world tour with Alien Ant Farm, they have proven they are still very much alive.
The nu metal era may be no more than a loud and brash memory, but as the lights darkened in Belfast’s Limelight on Wednesday night (13th March 2019), before a single note had been played attendees were transported back to the late 90s, as the speakers blared with Linkin Park’s ‘In The End’, in tribute to the late Chester Bennington.
Despite battling technical difficulties, P.O.D. took to the stage with a bang, or rather, with 'Boom', the explosive single from 2001's 'Satellite', as lead singer Sonny Sandoval announced, “Let’s make the most of this beautiful day, my friends!”
With mosh pits pulsating from the off, the pumped band continued with ‘Rock the Party (Off the Hook)’, and the first track from their latest offering, in a dizzying ‘Panic Attack’. Blazing through at an impressive pace, the San Diego rockers continued with a passionate ‘Murdered Love’ and a pummeling ‘Will You’, with the crowd screaming back to sweat-soaked front man Sonny Sandoval, who bounded around the stage with seemingly endless energy.
With the eighteen-song set balancing tracks from right across their two-decade career, there was also plenty of focus on ‘Circles’. Injecting life into an already hyper gathering, the bass-heavy ‘Rockin’ with the Best’ and ‘Soundboy Killa’ really got the crowd moving, with bassist Traa Daniels nimble skills underpinning the grove-heavy track.
With energy levels seemingly at a peak, Sonny and guitarist Marcos Curiel frenzied the crowd to new levels, with the punky ‘Without Jah, Nothin’. Cheering on the geared-up crowd (but reminding everyone “to have fun, look out for each other”), the pair did their bit for equal opportunities too, by encouraging a female-only mosh pit, “so everybody has a fun night, making memories”.
Continuing through at rapid fire pace, ‘Listening for the Silence’ offered a change of tone, with its slow moody beats subduing the set just long enough for everyone to catch their breath. Bringing the evening to its conclusion, old school ‘Snuff the Punk’-era classic ‘Who’s in this House’, ended the night, before the band signed off with a teasing; “Until next time, Belfast!”
The times may have changed since the early millennium, with nu-metal’s time in the spotlight long gone, but it’s clear that P.O.D still have a strong stance in the metal world, and they certainly have the crowds to prove it.
Click HERE for eonmusic's interview with Traa Daniels.
Like this story? Like us on FaceBook and follow us on Twitter for regular updates & more of the same.
Check out our gallery from the show below. All photos by Warren Blair.
