Korn – Armory – Rochester, NY – 05/18/2009

By Thomas S. Orwat Jr.

Rochester, NY -The multi-platinum band Korn stopped off in Rochester, NY last Monday as part of their ‘Escape from the Studio’ tour. And the big question of the night was would Korn be able to bring the same level of intensity to a smaller venue that they displayed two nights earlier at the massive ‘Rock on the Range’ festival in Columbus ,OH. The answer was a resounding Fuck Yeah!!!! While many bands may experience an off night after playing a huge festival, Korn performed with the same amount of vigor and emotion. Their 90 minute set consisted of one hit after another to the delight of the nearly sold out crowd. And although only three of the original members of the band remain –Jonathan Davis-vocals, Munky –guitar and Fieldy-bass, Korn are still held in the highest regards by their devoted faithful fans.

The band kicked of the evening a bit later than their scheduled 9:30 slot, but quickly made up for it when they hit the stage with “Right Now” from their 2003 ‘Take a Look in the Mirror’ CD. The focus on this tour is definitely the music, in terms of a stage show there was nothing more than a big logo backdrop. The core members of the band were supplemented by guitarist – Shane Gibson, drummer Ray Luzier and keyboardist Zak Baird. Out of the three, only Luzier is considered an official member of the band.

The third song of the evening “Did My Time” was brutally intense and crowd surfers started flying over the stage barrier into the photo pit. Jonathan Davis proved that he still is a great frontman and guitarist Munky still has his unique groundbreaking guitar chops intact.

One of the many highlights of the show included the bass work of Fieldy. It’s hard not to root for someone like him. He is responsible for originating the tuned down ,deep bass sound that is such an integral part of the nu-metal genre. His recent commitment to sobriety and a Christian lifestyle has resulted in him playing and looking better than ever. He has even stated in recent interviews that because of his lifestyle change he’s more focused and more appreciate of the music. Fieldy also just released a book entitled “Got the Life: My Journey of Addiction, Faith, Recovery and Korn” which he signed for fans earlier in the evening.

The only aspect of this show that was a little disappointing was the fact that the band chose not to play any new tracks from their upcoming release. Their new material is said to be back to basics and is being produced by Ross Robinson who produced the bands earlier and most popular work.

Korn saved the best for last when they ended the show with a three song encore that consisted of a fevered vision of “Blind,” from their 1994 debt release. Jonathan Davis stated before the song, “If you don’t know this song, you’re NOT a fucking Korn fan.” “Here to Stay” and “Got the Life,” followed with the same level of intensity. Korn left the stage with the audience begging for more, something that they have achieved many times on their current tour.

Setlist

Right Now
Good God
Did My Time
Thoughtless
Falling Away From Me
Clown
Ball Tongue
BAG PIPES INTRO
Helmet in the Bush
Twist
Fake
Ya’ll Want a Single
Coming undone/ We will Rock You
Somebody Someone
Freak on a Leash

Encore:
Blind
Here to Stay
Got the Life
www.korn.com