Go Behind the Scenes With Placebo

The glamorous life of a band getting ready for a sold-out show, guitarist/bassist Stefan Olsdal irons before playing to thousands of fans.

Playing the man in the mirror, Molko lost in thought as he enjoys a quiet moment alone before show time.

The band making the walk upstairs to get onstage and “speak our truth,” as Molko calls it.

When Rolling Stone arrived at the Wiltern just before seven to sit down with Molko, the line snaked around the block. “The faithful and the devoted,” the singer calls the fans.

Olsdal and the band just after taking the stage, bathed in light.

"It's when you get in the city you're going to perform that you get nervous. I still get nervous anyway, but I was really nervous before the New York show. But it was pretty amazing, the reception was phenomenal," Molko told us of his pre-show jitters.

"When we step out on to the stage there's a bit of a sensory overload at first and it's almost like a car crash in slow motion, when your life flashes before your eyes," Molko says. "It kind of takes 20 minutes for things to settle and to feel completely comfortable with that sensory overload."

Standing in the shadows as drummer Steve Forrest does his thing. "It feels like a rebirth," Molko says of coming back after four years between albums.

Molko at sound check getting ready for the show. “There is a lot of expectation tonight,” he says.

"Whenever I change a lyric it's because I feel like it’s kind of my right to," Molko says. "What Pink Floyd used to do was tour an album for maybe six months before they would record it, which is very difficult to do today with smart phones. Perhaps you would've arrived at a different place in your songwriting if you'd been able to test out a bunch of different ideas with an audience beforehand."

Of the long time between shows, Molko says, "It's having to prove yourself again and it's having to prove yourself worthy. But it's very good because it really gets in the way of ever becoming complacent. I'm quite pleased for the insecurity and nerves because if I didn't have it then I would really start to question whether or not there was anything vital left."