For the majority of the crowd at Reading 2025, the nu-metal heyday was something before their time. But while they may not have been there for Fred Durst’s now-iconic red cap sparking its own fashion trend or the Ben Stiller-starring music video for ‘Rollin’’ dominating MTV, when Limp Bizkit rock up to the main stage tonight (August 23), the ’90s giants fulfil their promise of taking us back to 1999.
Seeing as they’ve been more or less touring nonstop since the release of 2021’s ‘Still Sucks’, it comes as no surprise that their set at Reading tonight is technically seamless. After walking out to Oasis’ ‘Roll With It’ – backed by an odd, seemingly AI-generated image of Liam and Noel Gallagher giving them a thumbs up – the band prove that they have the formula to whip thousands into a feral frenzy with little effort required. “This is so much fun – and let’s hear it for this beautiful weather,” Durst quips, looking out into the looming grey clouds as the audience find any excuse to break into another mosh pit.
Musically, this is Limp Bizkit on top form. Guitarist Wes Borland, clad in his elaborate Day Of The Dead mask and matching suit, delivers his usual blend of sonically rich riffs. Durst’s unmistakable vocals and tongue-in-cheek comments lock the crowd in the palm of his hand as classics like ‘Nookie’, ‘Break Stuff’ and ‘Full Nelson’ dominate the setlist.
If you want to see the nu-metal pioneers doing what they do best, this is the place. There is no mistaking that the energy the band harness during their hour-long set has been meticulously perfected over the years to make this the most quintessential ‘Limp Bizkit show’ possible. Their set may not have all the bells and whistles of headliners Bring Me The Horizon. But between cheeky interludes of Metallica and Pantera classics, a surprisingly heartfelt cover of The Who’s ‘Behind Blue Eyes’, and inviting a young one fan to rip through a ‘Full Nelson’ duet, this is still one of the most engaging sets of the night.
While others this weekend, like Hozier, Enter Shikari and Soft Play, have used their Reading sets to deliver impassioned speeches on political issues, for Limp Bizkit the aim is much more straightforward: “We have to party like it’s 1999 in this motherfucker.” Whether you’ve been there from the start or only just jumped on the bandwagon, the band can still recapture the intensity they had at the turn of the millennium and have no intention of losing steam anytime soon.
Limp Bizkit’s Reading setlist was:
‘Break Stuff’
‘My Generation’
‘Hot Dog’
‘Rollin’
‘Nookie’
‘Full Nelson’
‘Dad Vibes’
‘Behind Blue Eyes’
‘My Way’
‘Take A Look Around’