Korn and Rob Zombie – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre – August 23, 2016
Photos and Review by: Darren Eagles
Two of hard rock’s heavy hitters joined forces for a thundering show at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre in Toronto. Korn and Rob Zombie brought their A-game’s to the nearly sold out crowd of metal and horrorcore fans Tuesday night. Rob Zombie opened the night with his signature theatrical gore inspired set, complete with video screens showing all manner of disturbing imagery, and oversized demon-ghoul backdrops. Guitarist John5’s side of the stage was a throwback to 70’s culture with a giant ghetto blaster as his guitar amp rig. From high atop video screen risers at the front of the stage, Zombie, John5 and bassist Piggy D broadcasted their message to the eager fans below. Zombie moves with the speed of a cheetah on stage, with monster sized fringed leather suits flailing, and wielding his creepy demon mic stand like a hapless victim in one of his gruesome videos. The setlist was hit heavy, with White Zombie’s “More Human Than Human” and Zombie’s “Dragula” as standouts. New song “Well, Everyone’s Fucking in a U.F.O.” was showcased as well. Before the encore, Zombie showed a trailer for his epic gorefest movie “31”, releasing on September 1st.
After the complete stage transformation, Korn brought the bass, the ear shattering, concrete crumbling BASS. Opening the show with “Right Now”, singer Jonathan Davis and the crew wasted no time getting the mosh pit moving. It’s mesmerizing to watch the long dreads on guitarist Brian “Head” Welsh and guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer as they are literally banging their heads for nearly the whole show. Davis cradles his iconic H.R. Giger inspired otherworldly female-formed mic stand and spits his vocals with the same ferocious abandon that he’s done for years. On the kit Ray Luzier, and bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu generate the band’s monsterous wall of bass that is at the heart of all of Korn’s songs. A heart pounding, brain shaking symphony that just makes you want to break shit. The setlist was basically all their biggest hits, with one new track, “Rotting in Vain” from their upcoming October release called “The Serenity of Suffering”.
A solid 5 out of 6 for this show.
