Korn “Escape From the Studio” as Tour Begins in Arizona

Photo: Arnold/WireImage
The normally serene spring home of baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks was transformed into a mass of pogoing teens on Saturday, April 25th, as Korn kicked off their Escape From the Studio tour, their first trek in nearly a year, at Tucson Electric Park. The 70-minute show focused on fan favorites and eschewed some of the more obvious choices. Funky interludes allowed Korn to step back a handful of times during the 14-song show, and stripped-down production gave the band the opportunity to spotlight the music. Save for singer Jonathan Davis’ H.R. Giger microphone stand and a Korn backdrop, the stage set-up was nearly bare.

But there was nothing simple about the music. Sounds of a gothic church choir greeted the crowd as members of Korn — kilt-wearing Davis, guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer and bassist Reggie “Fieldy” Arvizu, as well as touring musicians — took the stage. With a dose of heavy beats the band ripped straight into “Right Now” as the wind whipped the sound around the stadium. A sea of hands reached for Davis and the rest of the crew during “Fake” and the growly, groove-heavy “Did My Time.” The monosyllabic grind of “Coming Undone” led nicely into a sample of Queen’s “We Will Rock You.”

Halfway through the set Davis marched out from backstage with a set of bagpipes and teased the crowd with a few notes of “Shoots and Ladders,” before setting them aside for the frenetic “Helmet in the Bush.” He left most of his communication with the audience to the music until “Here to Stay,” deep in the set, after which he said, “I’m feeling the motherfucking Korn love tonight, Tucson.” He recruited the audience to respond “faget” [sic] during the song of the same name in response to his yells of, “What the fuck am I?” And he didn’t let up during the encore, where he turned the exaggerated beats of “Somebody Someone” into another excuse to the crowd to grab out to him, causing the massive mosh pit in the outfield to sway back and forth.

Set list:

“Right Now”
“Fake”
“Did My Time”
“Falling Away From Me”
“Coming Undone/We Will Rock You”
“Shoots and Ladders” (on bagpipes only)
“Helmet in the Bush”
“Here to Stay”
“Faget”
“Freak on a Leash”
“Make Me Bad”

Encore
“Blind”
“Somebody Someone”
“Got the Life”

by: Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
courtesy: rollingstone.com