In the genre of “Nu-metal,” few bands boast the longevity, influence, and power of P.O.D. (Payable on Death). The last time P.O.D. toured through Minneapolis, I was out of town for work so when they announced a tour for spring of 2024, I was ecstatic. Before the sunset, metalheads from all over the Twin Cities poured into the Uptown Theater in Minneapolis to witness the “I Got That Tour.”
As the lights dimmed and the stage came to life, Blind Channel kicked off with a thunderous roar. Hailing from Finland, they said how grateful they were to take the 14-hour plane ride to tour the States. Although I had never heard of them before, I was impressed with their energy and stage presence. The highlight of their set was when the band unashamedly asked if there were any Backstreet Boys fans in the crowd and proceeded to play a cover of “Backstreet’s Back.” It was a well-done and tight cover. I can easily see this band headlining their own U.S. tour within the next several years.
Next up was Norma Jean. Every time they play, chaos ensues and this was no exception. I’ve been a fan of this band since their Luti-Kriss days, and if you have no idea what I’m talking about, you’re missing out. As a long-time fan, I was a little disappointed they didn’t play any songs before their “Wrongdoers” album. The only exception was a bit of “I Used to Hate Cell Phones But Now I Hate Car Accidents” in a medley that also consisted of “The End of All Things Will Be Televised.” It was a killer set and the legendary Cory Brandon never disappoints.
Bad Wolves took the stage next, opening with “Bad Friend.” I could tell a lot of people came out for this band because everyone on the floor started engaging right away. The band started heavy and didn’t let up at all. Things got crazy when they played their newest single, “Knife.” This was my first time seeing Bad Wolves and I was surprised at how heavy they sounded. They even made their ballads sound heavier than what they do on their albums. Frontman DJ Laskiewicz was extremely energetic. The dude never stopped moving. Whether he was pacing the stage or jumping off the stage risers, it was impossible to take our eyes off of him. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know the band would close with their massive cover of “Zombie.” They did an amazing job balancing performing it themselves and letting the crowd carry it away.
After a short intermission, our headliner, P.O.D., took the stage and hit us with their aggressive single, “Drop.” It’s amazing that guys in their fifties can still rock out this hard but they brought it with the same intensity I’ve seen them play for over twenty years. Three of their first five songs were from their latest album, “Veritas.” The way the crowd engaged with “I Got That” and “I Won’t Bow Down” you’d never think this album was just released two weeks ago.
After playing “Boom,” “Satellite,” and “Murdered Love,” Marcos asked the crowd who had seen P.O.D. before and who was seeing them for the first time. Sonny thanked everyone for supporting them for the last 32 years and then broke into “Going In Blind.” The band bragged about having an extensive album catalog to choose songs from, and they weren’t joking. They busted out older songs like “Addicted,” “When Angels and Serpents Dance, and “Will You.” Everyone in the theater was captivated by their performance of “Beautiful” and sang along with every chorus.
The next two songs, “Youth of the Nation” and “Southtown” also demanded crowd engagement. Just as Sonny commanded on “Youth,” all hands went up in the air, waving back and forth. “Southtown” was the highlight of my night, as that was one of the first P.O.D. songs I heard in the late nineties. As the night was coming to an end, the band busted out two more songs from their “Veritas” album, “Afraid to Die” and “Lies We Tell Ourselves.” They closed with their mega-hit, “Alive.”
I’ve seen P.O.D. many times before, but this show was my favorite. Over the last couple of years, my kids have gotten into the same music I love so I took them along with me to see the show. There is nothing better than watching the excitement on kids’ faces when they hear their favorite songs and see Sonny look down from the stage and point at them. I’ll never forget that night and am truly grateful to P.O.D. for over 30 years of incredible music.
