In 1994, the genre of Nu metal was born as Jonathan Davis growled “Are you ready?!?!” into his mic. With a combination of heaviness and groove fueled by deep emotions, Korn launched a movement that brought metal back to life in a cooler way than before. From the mid-90s to early 2000s, the influence of Korn’s sound was heard all over the radio, guiding this charged yet catchy genre in the generation-defining music of Slipknot, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, and more.
Korn’s music has lasted for decades, with ten platinum albums and dozens of hit songs. Thirty years after their self-titled debut album that rocked the world of music, Korn sold out the Prudential Center on September 23, 2024, and put on one hell of a show.
I was lucky enough to be at the rail in the pit, only a few feet from the metal gods themselves in an arena of over seventeen thousand people. But before the fathers of Nu Metal hit the stage, a few talented bands grabbed the attention of all the present metalheads.
First up was Spiritbox. For all those who say rock is dead (I’ll admit I find myself believing that more often than not), I suggest listening to Courtney LaPlante and her new, exceptionally heavy band. Spiritbox debuted with their album Eternal Blue only four years ago, making the metal group younger than COVID-19 and Avengers: Endgame.
Before Spiritbox, there weren’t really any post-2010s metal bands I found myself wanting to listen to, and I didn’t have hope for that to change. That is, until LaPlante strutted out onto the stage and death growled like there was no tomorrow alongside some deliciously violent drumming. The guitar and bass sounds through their opening song “Cellar Door” were as heavy as it gets, and their twenty-six-minute set continued to punch the audience in the mouth in the best way possible. I give Spiritbox my absolutely valueless stamp of approval, and look forward to diving deeper into their catalog.
If anyone’s neck was already sore due to their body’s natural reaction to each Spiritbox song, they were going to be in for a rough night. Gojira, the first metal band to ever play at the Olympics, was up next and rocked the arena even harder than Spiritbox. Their sound, composed of elements from both death and progressive metal, sent the pit into a frenzy from the first note of “Born for One Thing,” the hit lead single from their latest album Fortitude. The heat from their flames made the experience even more metal, and the pulse from the bass drum would have likely killed a Victorian child.
They delighted the crowd with all of their hits, with the seven-minute long masterpiece “Flying Whales” from 2005 as well as hit singles “Silvera” and “Stranded” from 2016. Mario Duplantier’s drumming blew me away with his precision and power through complex patterns. His brother Joe, the lead singer and rhythm guitarist, also killed it with sick, raw vocals. I spent most of the set in the mosh pit, feeling the brutal, vicious energy that every metalhead craves.
It was now time for Korn. Even though I had already seen them twice before, my anticipation was through the roof (as it always will be before getting to see one of the greatest metal bands of all time). As a rumbling guitar riff began playing in the darkened arena, the black curtain covering the stage dropped (landing right onto my face of course…a very first-world problem, I know). The heavy-hitting lead single “Here to Stay” from 2002’s Untouchables blasted across the arena, sparking chaos in the pit.
The show couldn’t have gotten off to a better start, as “Here to Stay” also happens to be my favorite track by the band with its groovy metal beat and signature Korn-styled quiet-buildup-into-an-intense-breakdown. It was then immediately evident that the set would feel like a greatest hits playlist, with three more hits rolling in next: “Dead Bodies Everywhere,” “Got the Life,” and “A.D.I.D.A.S.” The crowd favorites had the packed arena’s audience beaming.
Flexing the band’s historic longevity and legendary success, they played two singles back-to-back—the first being “Start the Healing” from 2022 and the latter “Blind” from 1994. The serious metal energy that had been pulsing through the NJ arena continued to thrive through the two songs that had a 28-year difference in release dates; a remarkable feat that is rare for many bands to pull off.
Throughout, Jonathan Davis’ stage presence remained second to none. Despite passing the half-century mark in age, Davis still headbangs like an animal. This clip from 2011 (I apologize for the Android quality) and this video from the Monsters of Rock Festival in 1996 should give you a pretty good sense of how much of a beast he is behind the mic.
During the intense moshing that went down during “Y’all Want a Single,” I realized “Santa” was crowd-surfing as I felt his stomach rub across my face. I then had the pleasure of spending intermission wiping Santa’s sweat off my cheek.
In the encore, Korn pulled out two iconic platinum-certified tracks: “Falling Away From Me” and “Freak on a Leash.” The songs are heavy and cathartic, as the fathers of Nu Metal had the middle-aged men (plus me) in Prudential Center feeling both energized and relieved.
I have now seen Korn three times, each show somehow consistently exceeding my already-high expectations. This concert, made even greater thanks to the phenomenal opening acts, reaffirmed my belief they’re still one of the best bands to see live.
