A Day To Remember & Papa Roach Deliver Chaos on Big Rock Tour in Melbourne

On the 8th of April, the night had finally arrived as the Big Rock Tour took over Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena. Featuring co-headliners A Day To Remember and Papa Roach, with Landmvrks opening, it promised to be a feast for rock fans. From the moment people lined up outside to when they poured into the venue, the crowd was buzzing with anticipation, everyone was ready for the night ahead.

Kicking off the evening were Landmvrks, all the way from France. The heavy hitters received a warm welcome from the Melbourne crowd, with fans fully engaged throughout their set and feeding off the band’s intensity. I had heard many great things about this band from the last time they were here last year for their headline tour and they definitely lived up to the expectations. 

Next up was the first headliner of the evening, Papa Roach, a band who formed in 1993, they are responsible for staple tracks like Scars and Help. This was their first time back in Australia since 2023, and they made sure it was unforgettable. Their set was hot and fiery, with pyro blazing across the stage for the majority of the performance. Frontman Jacoby Shaddix is just such an energising frontman, effortlessly working the crowd. At one point, he jokingly claimed that Perth and Adelaide were better crowds, earning boos from the audience before quickly revealing he was just trying to rile Melbourne up and wanted to see even more energy. He also called out those still sitting, shouting, “This isn’t a U2 concert,” trying to get everyone to get on their feet. Not confining himself to the stage, he got fully into the mix of it and joined those in the tiered seating on the left side of the arena getting up close and personal with the fans during To Be Loved.

During intermission, the tone shifted with a message from Jacoby appearing on screen speaking on mental health awareness, alongside their incredible initiative to donate a portion of ticket sales from each show to a local mental health charity. This then transitioned into the emotional track Leave a Light On paired with phone lights filling the arena, which was then followed by a moment of silence for suicide victims. After thanking the crowd, the band reignited the energy with Scars, which sounded phenomenal live. We also got to hear a newer release called BRAINDEAD which was described by Jacoby himself as meant to be for the mosh pit, and it was a hit!

They then took fans on what Jacoby called a “nu-metal time machine,” playing snippets of classics like Blind, My Own Summer, which then lead to him making his way into the seats at the right side of the stage for Break Stuff, and Chop Suey and saying hello to those at the back of the arena. The medley wrapped up with Jacoby returning to the stage before launching straight into their iconic closer, Last Resort, with the entire arena singing along.

Let’s just say, by the end of the set, Jacoby Shaddix was praising Melbourne as the best crowd of the tour so far, even stating, “I haven’t said that yet.” Here’s hoping the Melbourne crowd can hold onto that title for the rest of the Australian tour.

Papa Roach may have been a “nice to see” band for me beforehand, but after that performance they’ve become a must-see, and I have no doubt many others left feeling the same. Ending their set, Jacoby said he couldn’t wait to return to Melbourne again, and if this show is anything to go by, fans will be hoping it’s sooner rather than later.

As the lights dimmed again, the screen lit up with A Day To Remember’s rock-carved logo, one by one, the band members took the stage before frontman Jeremy McKinnon ran out to an even louder roar. They wasted no time, kicking things off with The Downfall of Us All, what a perfect, high-energy opener that had the entire arena singing along. Their setlist perfectly balanced old favourites with newer tracks, including All My Friends from their latest album, which already feels like a future classic judging by the volume that the song was sung back to them, with an explosive of confetti during the bridge.

Jeremy took a moment to thank the crowd for welcoming them back, reflecting on how important Australia has been to the band’s journey. He shared that on their very first visit, they played to such a large crowd, and said they’ve probably toured Australia more than anywhere else outside of the US. He also added that they’re “trying to move here,” laughing as he asked if anyone wanted to marry them for visas, “we need five husbands.”

If you’re part of the scene, Have Faith In Me is one of those songs you have to hear live at least once, it’s a true anthem. Dedicated to all the ladies in the crowd, and just like on the studio version, it begins acoustically before building into a heavier, more powerful moment in the bridge, hitting even harder in a live setting. Paired with a burst of confetti raining down, the whole arena was singing along, adding to the euphoric atmosphere.

That energy quickly shifted as an epic mosh broke out during the iconic breakdown of Mr. Highway’s Thinking About the End. A Day To Remember’s “crowd surfing on top of crowd surfers” segment made its usual appearance, with Jeremy joking, “As you can see, it’s also fcking dangerous and you probably shouldn’t do it, but who are we to stand in the way of you becoming a fcking living legend,” which sent crowdsurfers surging toward the stage during It’s Complicated.

Then came LeBron, where inflatable basketballs filled the pit and two hoops were brought out for a crowd competition, because, of course. The left side clearly dominated, prompting Jeremy to jokingly fold up the right side’s hoop for a moment mid-song. All I Want followed, keeping the crowd’s energy high as everyone clapped in unison, before The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle continued the momentum with the band bouncing along with the crowd.After joking “f*ck encores, we’re just going to play three more songs if that’s okay with you,” the band returned to a softer moment with If It Means a Lot to You. The crowd sang every word back as phone lights filled the arena once again, with another burst of confetti during the heavy bridge.

Thanking everyone for coming to the Big Rock Tour, they closed the night with All Signs Point to Lauderdale, saying, “We’re A Day To Remember, this is our last one for tonight, let’s see if you know this one,” as rolls of toilet paper flew through the pit. 

With pyro, confetti, rolls of toilet paper and basketballs flying everywhere, it was pure chaos in the best possible way. The band sounded just as impressive live as they do in the studio, all while delivering an incredibly fun performance.

The Big Rock Tour delivered everything you could want from a night of heavy music, energy, chaos and nostalgia. From start to finish, each band brought something different, but together they created a show that will be very hard to forget!

A Day To Remember :

Papa Roach :