Korn Take Fans
to the Edge
Pop Sux! Tour Has No Room for the Weak
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| >> Korn's Jonathan Davis had the crowd in his power. >> |
For a few hours on Friday, November 8, Long Beach Arena looked like Hell's waiting room. Packed with fans that were either legitimately scary or just wanted to look that way, this wasn't a show for the faint of heart. These fans were here to see Korn, spokesmen for the outcast, the unwanted and those who society frowns upon, and they would not be denied.
Not much has changed for Korn over the last eight or so years - the stages and venues may be bigger, but the vibe is the same, the sound is still distinctly Korn's unique brand of industrial Gothic punk. The fans still surge and teem with the electric energy that Korn has been eliciting for nearly a decade. For an hour and fifteen minutes, the mass of humanity belonged to front man Jonathan Davis and the cascade of thunderous sounds his bandmates put forth.
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Fieldy had the floor shaking |
Clad in a long black skirt embroidered with a silver cross, Davis gave back as much energy as the fans gave him. His voice full of emotion and energy, Davis stalked about, his long braided hair taking on a life of it's own, bouncing here and there as he unleashed his pain on the world in measured amounts.
It may be that pain that sets Korn apart from the other nu-metal bands; Davis' anger, loathing and despair is palpable and gripping. As the band hit the stage, the crowd was shown a video filled with rapid-fire images of death, decay and life on the edge, with Davis screaming "I cannot give anymore!" It seemed as though Davis was sending a message: "Welcome to my own personal Hell…thanks for coming."
Though the biggest roars from the crowd came for the known hits like "Freak On A Leash" and "Got The Life," most of the fans seemed to be well-acquainted with the full Korn discography.
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>> Jonathan Davis >> |
With the ever laid-back Fieldy throwing down subsonic bass lines, guitarists Brian "Head" Welch and James "Munky" Shaffer were free to deliver the thick, grinding 7-stringed sounds they've become known for. At each corner of the stage, a group of fans chanted the name of the guitarist on their side as they came on stage. The fans knew which side of stage Head and Munky would occupy, and they were there to greet them.
In the end, though, Korn is driven by the punishing beats provided by drummer David Silvera, whose metronome-like time keeps the band churning forward. He is the man who marks time for these five horsemen of doom, punishing his cymbals with each blow.
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TRUSTcompany's Kevin Palmer>> |
Opening the evening, burgeoning act TRUSTcompany and nu-metal giants Disturbed got things going, though the latter have achieved mega-stardom and carry themselves as such.
TRUSTcompany's sound, though much more on the emo-core end of the spectrum, acquitted themselves well and the crowd seemed to take them in. With their single "Downfall" getting plenty of airplay and their major label debut, The Lonely Position of Neutral, doing well on the charts, the quartet is well poised for future success.
At the end of the night, though, it was Korn that left the crowd stunned and spent. Their onslaught was one that this crowd would not soon forget. Korn has made their mark not only as pioneers of the sound, but also as the premier band in the genre.
