Loudwire is very proud to welcome Papa Roach singer Jacoby Shaddix as a guest blogger. The charismatic rock frontman will deliver a weekly diary during the band's run on the Carnival of Madness tour, which also features Shinedown, Skillet, In This Moment and We as Human. Check out Jacoby's first entry below, as well as some behind-the-scenes photos and a list of remaining dates on the Carnival of Madness tour:

First off, thanks to the folks at Loudwire for letting me have this opportunity to write a column and thanks to you for reading!!!!

To kick things off, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do the tour due to vocal issues again. UGH! The nodes on my vocal cords were coming back but two weeks of doctor ordered vocal rest (not talking for a guy like me for two weeks is a huge test of patience) and a new vocal coach, Ron Anderson, got me sorted out to be able to be out here. So blessed and so grateful.

The last thing I wanted was to cancel another tour. When we arrived at our first date outside Rochester, N.Y., I was welcomed by all the bands with a lot of love. I had a great talk with Brent from Shinedown about how to take care of ourselves out here. It's cool to be able to have people out here on the road to be able to relate to on many life levels. Brent is one of the those guys. If I was a soldier, I would be stoked to have Brent by my side.

As the day progressed my arms got tired from all the hugging I was doing from seeing all my friends in the bands. This tour is like a family reunion. People from all the bands John AKA DOGGIE from Skillet has been a really good friend of mine. That dude brings it.

Maria and everyone from In This Moment are great people! I love the band and the music. If you haven't got their record 'Blood,' you need to go get it. Great record! Then I got to meet my dudes in We As Human. I found out John from Skillet discovered them. They are a killer band so GET THERE EARLY TO CHECK THESE GUYS OUT!

Carnival of Madness is worth coming and checking out, to say the least. Not to toot my own horn, but between Shinedown and Papa Roach, we will play 20 Top 10 rock singles. Crazy when I think of it.

If there is a theme for all the bands out here, I would say IT'S ALL ABOUT THE COMMITMENT TO THE CRAFT OF MUSIC AND SHOWMANSHIP. All of us out here have been at it for a while and we are all still very passionate about what we do. We As Human bring a raw in your face hard rock approach. They are a perfect opening band for this tour. They wake everyone up right off the bat. In This Moment bring a dark sexy mix of metal, goth, and pop. I am a huge fan. It's theatrical like Alice Cooper and Lady Gaga. It's fun to watch.

Then come Skillet. All I have to say is that they are a hard act to follow! They bring the heat every night which pushes us to take it to the next level. Our set was poppin' right out of the gates. It felt good to sing after such an uncertain time.

Well, enough about our set. Onto our brothers in Shinedown! FIRE, EXPLOSIONS, VIDEO WALL, TONS OF LIGHT AND A GROUP OF HIT SONGS! What more can I say? I don't want to spoil it with all the details for y'all that haven't seen it but for those that are coming, you are in for a treat. For those who are on the fence, get off the fence and get your ass to the best rock tour this summer!

I will be writing this blog every week so next week TUNE IN FOR THE BACKSTAGE ANTICS BLOG! I will bring out the dirt.

-Jacoby Shaddix

Our thanks to Jacoby Shaddix for contributing his first blog of his weekly tour diary. To purchase tickets for the Carnival of Madness tour (see dates below), click here. And if you haven't picked up Papa Roach's latest album, 'The Connection,' yet, head over to iTunes to grab yourself a copy.

Remaining Carnival of Madness Tour Dates Featuring Papa Roach:

8/23 – Tinley Park, IL – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8/24 - Kansas City, MO - Berkley Riverfront Park
8/25 – Cedar Rapids, IA – U.S. Cellular Center
8/27 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
8/28 – Big Flats, NY – Tags
8/30 – Charlotte, NC – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8/31 – Virginia Beach, VA – Farm Bureau Live
9/01 – Raleigh, NC – The Red Hat Amphitheatre
9/04 - Memphis, TN - Mus Island Amphiteatre
9/06 – Allegan, MI – Allegan County Fair
9/07 - Maryland Heights, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
9/08 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre
9/10 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
9/12 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Interstate County Fair
9/14 – Sacramento, CA – Discovery Park (Aftershock Festival)
9/15 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

 

Papa Roach
Courtesy of Jacoby Shaddix
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Courtesy of Jacoby Shaddix
Courtesy of Jacoby Shaddix
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