In-N-Out Burger’s rock band takes its show to Hollywood

In-N-Out Burger officers played heavy metal covers in a space where the Rolling Stones once performed on Saturday night, Oct. 18.

The event was Rock 2 Freedom, an annual fundraiser backed by the Southern California fast food chain. It took place at the Hollywood Palladium on Sunset Boulevard.

Papa Roach headlined the four-hour show that featured sizzling burgers from In-N-Out’s food trucks in the parking lot and a lot of pyrotechnics inside.

San Diego’s Sitting on Saturn, formerly Sitting on Stacy, opened the show, followed by .48 Special, In-N-Out’s “family band.”

Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson, In-N-Out’s owner and president, took the lead vocal on Blondie’s “One Way or Another,” played bass and joined in aerial stunts with her colleagues in the 45-minute set. And at one point she swung a flaming whip.

They were joined by surprise guest stars James “Munky” Shaffer from Korn and Wes Geer from HU3M3N.

Rock 2 Freedom supports Slave 2 Nothing, a fundraiser she set up with her husband Sean Ellingson to combat substance abuse and human trafficking. Concerts take place in October, which is Substance Use Prevention Month.

“Our whole mission is freedom. We want to see people being set free from being enslaved to any person or substance,” Dominic Done, executive director of Slave 2 Nothing, said in an interview.

Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix made a plea for suicide awareness during the nu metal band’s hour-long set, which had dancer circling a mosh pit while flames shot from the stage.

The set included hits such as “Kill the Noise,” while a bar in the lobby sold a “Cut My Lime Into Pieces,” drawing on the lyrics of the band’s song, “Last Resort.” It was a mocktail with lime juice and soda water, in keeping with the evening’s mission.

It was one of the biggest Rock 2 Freedom shows to date, moving from the House of Blues Anaheim to Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood.

The Palladium, a mostly standing-room venue, has a long history. Frank Sinatra and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra performed at its opening in 1940. Since then, bands such as the Stones, in 1972, Led Zeppelin, Talking Heads and the Ramones have played there. Demi Lovato will put on a one-night show on Oct. 25.

“We sell burgers for a living,” band member Greg Nogle said during .48 Special’s set. “It’s pretty humbling to be here.”

The evening began with a red carpet with .48 Special and the other bands at 5 p.m., about the time a “No Kings” protest was taking place in front of Los Angeles City Hall about 5 miles away. The protest slowed traffic into Hollywood while the concert was starting with offramp closures on the 101 Freeway near the Civic Center.

Final ticket sales weren’t available, but Done said they were around 1,500 on Friday, nearing the event’s 2,000 capacity. The concert raised more than $52,000 in pledges during intermission.

The evening also included a raffle for a trip to Nashville, the metropolitan area in Tennessee where In-N-Out is setting up an Eastern hub and will move some of its operations there in coming years.

In-N-Out will continue to raise funds in its restaurants to combat opioid and fentanyl abuse throughout October. The chain will match contributions three-to-one up to $300,000.

Information: slave2nothing.org