Papa Roach became one of the New Millennium's most unlikely megastars when Last Resort, the propulsive, angsty rock banger from the California four-piece's breakthrough second album Infest, landed on an unsuspecting public in the Spring of 2000. Backed by a memorable video starring the band and their diehard fans, it catapulted Papa Roach to the forefront of the exploding nu metal scene, leading to them rubbing shoulders with some of rock music's biggest names - and even a pop A-lister or two.
Speaking to Steve Appleford in the new issue of Metal Hammer, the Roach explain how a tour with Korn during the height of their newfound popularity led to them getting some precious advice, courtesy of Korn bassist Fieldy.
“Fieldy said, ‘Look man, how this is happening for you guys is not normal,’” Papa Roach guitarist Jerry Horton recalls today. “‘You’re going to think that it’s going to always be this way, but it’s not.’ That was kind of a wake-up call. It wasn’t until the end of that cycle where we were able to take stock of everything that happened. I think it messed with our heads, because we were so far into it that we didn’t even realise what was happening until after.”
“I was on my own trip, marching to the beat of my own drum," adds Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix, admitting that he maybe didn't heed Fieldy's advice too well. “I had it all figured out, and I soon found out that I didn’t have it all figured out.”
During that era, Papa Roach found themselves appearing on MTV's zeitgeisty pop music chart show TRL (Total Request Live), meeting none other than Millennial pop idol and then-NSYNC member, Justin Timberlake.
“Justin pulled up on us and he’s like, ‘What’s up guys?’” Jacoby remembers. “Part of me is like, ‘Oh, these are the fuckin’ pop guys. Fuck them.’ And they were just cool as fuck. He looked at me, and he’s all, ‘This like the WWE, dude. We’re musicians, you’re musicians. We’re out here chasing our dream, you’re chasing your dream.’ And I was like, ‘You’re right, dude.’”
Papa Roach's career would ultimately prove that their success around Last Resort was far from a flash-in-the-pan scenario; in February 2025, they land in the UK for a series of shows celebrating 25 years of Infest, including their first ever headline set at London's Wembley Arena.
