Like many of those in attendance, I was a Korn fan during my angsty teen years. At the turn of the century, it was the likes of Papa Roach, Staind and (forgive me) Linkin Park that used to get regular spins on my discman.
Korn’s ‘Greatest Hits Vol. 1‘ still gets the odd play, except for 2005’s Twister Transistor, I haven’t heard a new song since. Still, when the news came out that they had “gone dubstep”, it came as a shock. So dramatic was the departure that a member of the crowd, when I asked him was he going to move into the space in front of him, responded: “I don’t want to touch off any metal fan, I might catch it.”
The opening songs when the band did enter were also surprise, though Lies and Predicable, album tracks off début ‘Korn’ (which is 18 years old now), were definitely not new Korn. Most present, still largely pierced and clad in black, seemed to appreciate these and Good God and No Place to Hide that followed. There was some hesitation before the next song though when the large screens behind the band began to light up. “Is this that dubstep shit?” asked a member of the audience to my left. It was, it seemed.
Narcissistic Cannibal and Kill Mercy Within are not the type of songs that are likely to alienate the band’s traditional following. They actually seemed to be quite enjoying them, though the energy in the room began to flag come the end of the latter. Chaos Lives in Everything, their most evident dubstep effort so far, also their most divisive. New fans seemed to be going with it, older fans mostly stood, stony faced, taking it in.
Given it’s the lead single from the new ‘The Path of Totality’, Get Up! gets a more enthusiastic response from the crowd. Way Too Far works a similar trick, but my concentration has been lost, and I am more focusing on the very impressive light show and the work that the drummer continues to have to put in, while many of the other band members look bored.
One man who certainly seems to be enjoying it though is front-man Jonathan Davis. He looks slim and fit and his voice is in as good a shape as ever. Here to Stay shows that the audience is in fine fettle too as they leap about and excitedly sing back almost every word. Freak on a Leash, shows that the fans still hanker more for the hits than any of the other parts of their repertoire.
The band exit leaving the drummer to perform a cymbal solo before the guitars return, this time highly distorted. It almost sounds like the interlude to Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love and you expect that massive riff to kick in at any time. It never does, but it is a 1970s cover that is next on the list. Korn received a bit of flack for cover Another Brick in the Wall but there can be no denying that they have put their own stamp on it. It cannot be argued either that the crowd love it. It receives the biggest reaction of the night.
They break for a while before Davis returns on his own with bagpipes under his shoulder. The screen displays a Scotland flag and the band soon launch into the nu metal nursery rhymes of Shoots and Ladders with a bit of Metallica’s ‘One’ thrown in for good measure. Got the Life gets everyone jumping before Blind gets the crowd into the biggest mosh the night has seen. The lights come up and the band takes their bow. “God bless every one of you motherfuckers,” Davis says as he exits the stage for the last time.
A thoroughly impressive show has come to an end. Korn have helped me relive my teenage years for an hour and a half and, while not doing enough to make themselves essential listening for me again, lifted themselves above the ‘nostalgic’ or ‘guilty pleasure’ sections of my musical collection.
Setlist
Predictable
Lies
No Place to Hide
Good God
Narcissistic Cannibal
Kill Mercy Within
Chaos Lives in Everything
My Wall
Get Up!
Way Too Far
Here to Stay
Freak on a Leash
Falling Away From Me
Another Brick in the Wall (Pink Floyd cover)
Encore:
Shoots and Ladders / One
Got the Life
Blind
Korn Photo Gallery
Photos: Kieran Frost
