Ok, time to hop in that mental time machine and chart for thirty years ago. Welcome to 1994… don’t worry about your smartphone, it is as useful as a concrete parachute. Hell, the internet on a mass scale was barely even being introduced. The Crow had just come out, ushering in the first generation of Hot Topic Goth kids with Crow makeup on Halloween. While Los Angeles, California suffered one of its worst earthquakes, that had nothing to do with the release of a self-titled debut album from a little band hailing from Bakersfield that you might know named, Korn. When the five-piece adorned in Adidas jumpsuits, baggy clothes, dreads, and a penchant for drop-D tuning hit the scene, nothing would be the same after. A plethora of bands they influenced began to emerge, and thus, the Nu Metal genre. For the next three decades, despite all manner of obstacles, Korn has rewarded their loyal fan base with fourteen records, and countless awards, putting together one of the largest touring festivals with the Family Values Tours that brought everything from Limp Bizkit to Rammstein to the masses. With that being said, it is no surprise that Korn chose to celebrate their legacy with one of the biggest tours in 2024 with one of music’s heaviest bands of the last few years, France’s Gojira, and one of Metal’s hottest new bands Spiritbox.
In fact, on October 16th a sold-out crowd in Englewood, Colorado at Fiddler’s Green wrapped around the Denver Tech Center area to greet the tour. One looks around to the ocean of long oversized Korn shirts and Jenko-like jeans for anyone growing up in the ’90s wondering if they did step through a wormhole. As parents and their young protégé children shuffled in reminiscing on “breaking an arm skateboarding to Korn” or the Korn songs that highlighted their best and worst parties. As the sun dipped away on the final show of the year for the outdoor venue, and the intro to Spiritbox’s set began, the sold-out crowd let the bands know they were ready.
Hailing from Canada, Spiritbox kicked off their journey in 2017 and after a few strong EPs, they unleashed their debut album in 2021 entitled Eternal Blue. They kicked off their set with one of their newest singles “Cellar” from their 2023 EP The Fear of Fear. Their crushing sound got the massive crowd flowing, and from the lawn seats in the back to the mosh pits of the front the party was in full swing as the band churned out another newer track “Jaded.” Singer Courtney LaPlante never shies away from showing her vocal diversity with her hauntingly melodic vocals, and capability to switch up and bring out the hardcore fury vocals only perfectly complimented by diverse music coming from Guitarist Mike Stringer, Drummer Zev Rose, and Bassist Josh Gilbert. As the band closed out a shorter set with “Circle With Me” and “Holly Roller,” it was almost bittersweet, granted fans wanted more, but there was no denying fans were ready for the fire of Gojira and celebrating thirty years of Korn.
In truth, Gojira is one of those bands that do not need an introduction. However, in case you have been living under a rock for the past ten years, it could be argued they are one of the true torchbearers for the genre. Their debut in 2001 Terra Incognita even set the expectations that this band’s sound was going to be the personification of Godzilla himself. Their live shows, however, have solidified their status to be just as massive. Not just for the ground-shaking sound, but the very presence of Frontman Joe Duplantier commands you to let it all out in the pit. Add to this some of the best drum work in the industry from his brother Mario Duplantier, the surgical guitars of Christian Andreu, and the bombastic bass of Jean-Michel Labadie and you have a band that stands on top of the current Metal mountain.
They wasted no time whipping the crowd into a frenzy with the speed and fury of 2021’s “Born For One Thing” from the album Fortitude. Right on cue circle pits began to form, and Gojira were more than happy to reward with a track from their 2012 album L’Enfant Sauvage “The Axe.” As the band kept the proverbial volume pushed to eleven with tracks like “Backbone” from 2005’s From Mars to Sirius and “Grind,” fans matched the intensity of the massive pyro Gojira was unleashing. As the band closed out with one of their staple tracks “Amazonia,” it was clear that if there was any band who could follow that set was none other than the birthday boys themselves, Korn.
You have to wonder how difficult it would be to select a song to kick off your band’s thirty-year birthday celebration. Especially considering the material to select from spread out through fourteen albums and countless singles. Count on the band from Bakersfield to pick the most appropriate one with “Here To Stay” from 2002’s Untouchables. The sold-out crowd completely let go, singing every word with Frontman Johnathan Davis. As a haunting melody chimed through the venue, fans all screamed in approval to the track “Dead Bodies Everywhere” from the classic 1998 album Follow the Leader, which was only broken by the crushing joining of Guitarists James “Munky” Shaffer and Brian “Head” Welch, paired with one of the best rhythm sections in Ray Luzier on drums and Ra Diaz on bass.
As the band played through memorable tracks like “Got the Life” and “A.D.I.D.A.S.,” crowd-surfing fans flowed like logs on a river. And yes for all of you old-school Korn fans, you get to relive the staple Johnathan Davis with bagpipes for “Shoots and Ladders”, but it was coupled with a brief snippet of the band’s cover of Metallica’s “One.” From the unmistakable intro of the band’s debut single “Blind,” to Munky and Head’s hunched-over dreaded headbanging, to even Johnathan Davis’s H.R. Giger mic stand, this was one hell of a worthy celebration for three decades of musical inspiration.
This is one tour you will not want to miss out on as the 2024 concert season comes to an end. From the fresh sounds of Spiritbox, the fury of Gojira, and the unmistakable groove of Korn this was one hell of an experience. So what are you still sitting here for? Get off the internet and get in the pit!
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