Showbox Hits Home Run With Papa Roach

Papa Roach at the Showbox SoDo (Photo by Mocha Charlie)

If there’s one thing music fans in Seattle have come to realize, it’s that it’s not particularly the best idea to book a show at the Showbox SoDo on the same night as a Mariners game; but if they do, it had better be worth it. Last weekend’s lineup of Papa Roach, Nothing More, and Escape The Fate was indeed worth it.  

For one, tickets sold out months ago, meaning that demand for this caliber of lineup was highly anticipated, regardless of the date. You might think that once people figured out that the night for music and baseball would coincide, the venue wouldn’t be full. Well, it was packed. Not only was it packed, but it was packed nearly from the moment Escape The Fate took the stage (first), until after Papa Roach played their last encore song. Hot. Sweaty. Packed. 

Seeing a full room for an entire show isn’t necessarily something new. But it’s a great feat, and shows the strength that this line-up had, at least for this tour stop. When each band asked the crowd for a show of hands as to who had never seen their band perform live before, over half of the venue raised their hands. Each band. More than half the room. Heads turned, and the room roared with cheer each time the question was asked too. It wasn’t only myself who was shocked at the responses. For bands that had played Seattle stages before, I was (pleasantly) surprised at the number of new faces in the crowd. It’s wonderful seeing bands that to continue to grow their fan base, and to draw new folks in with their commitment to music. These three bands know (their shit) how to do that.