KoRn bring the innovative Path of Totality to live with latest tour

by Reggie Edwards There’s no doubt KoRn have always been visionaries and their latest release, The Path of Totality, is no exception. On this one they brought in some of the biggest DJ’s in dubstep to put together a dubstep KoRn record. Now they’ve taken to the road to bring us the live experience with The Path of Totality Tour, and, trust me, it didn’t disappoint. This tour isn’t your typical KoRn tour, though, not just because they do what I like to call KoRn-step, but because they had two DJ’s opening for them this time around. Opening up the night was Jonathan Davis, better known as JDevil on this occasion. Davis’ side-gig is a DJ, he blacks outhis eyes and teeth and, I must say, it looks rather creepy, but then again, it’s JDevil, right? Even though I wasn’t into it at all, it was a pretty good set, it’s good to see Davis doing something he loves and doing something to diversify his career. After JDevil wrapped it up, Sluggo, another DJ kept the party going. It may not have been my cup-o-tea but I’ll admit he did a superb job at amping the crowd up. He had the understanding that he was opening up a rock show as he did dubstep remixes to Metallica’s “Sad But True” as well as one of my all-time-favorites, System of a Down’s “Chop Suey.” Just to make it entertaining he also did the classic, “The Next Episode” by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. I may not like dubstep but I’ll admit he rocked the place. After about an hour-and-a-half of dubstep DJ’s, it was time for the main attraction- KoRn and they didn’t disappoint, performing over 20 songs and four sets. They kicked it off by pulling something out of their sleeves for the diehard Kornheads- a set of old and rare songs from the first two KoRn albums, consisting of “Divine,” “Predictable,” “Good God” and “No Place to Hide.” They even did a little tidbit from “Porno Creep.” I’ll be honest, it’s so weird for me to see songs from Life is Peachy being referred to as “old and rarities.” But maybe that’s just the old-school KoRn fan in me. After this they left the stage and a video montage on the backscreen of old school KoRn footage- an intro to a set of the “new KoRn.” This set started with one of my favorites, “Narcissistic Cannibal,” as well as their other major singles, “Get Up,” and “Chaos Lives in Everything.” They threw in some other songs from The Path of Totality and it was a really interesting and impressive set. I wasn’t big on the record but if you put it up against other stuff in the dubstep genre, it’s really good and KoRn definitely brought it on stage. The night was far from over, in fact, this was all just a warm-up for what was to come- a set of their most well-known classics. Let’s be honest, this is what most people probably came for and didn’t go home unsatisfied. They couldn’t have started with a better song either, “Here to Stay” got everyone moving, jumping, singing, moshing and more. Up the ante with “Freak on a Leash,” “Falling Away from Me,” and “Another Brick in the Wall” and you had one big KoRn party. Everyone was into it at this point and the energy in the room was undeniable. KoRn definitely rocked the show. They weren’t done there. It was here that Jonathan Davis brought out the bagpipes. That’s right, bagpipes and it was time for “Shoots and Ladders,” one of their biggest crowd favorites combined with their cover of Metallica’s “One.” Davis took the time to explain why they play the song at every show and it’s for the men and women in the armed forces who sacrifice their lives so we can have great lives here. Follow that up with “Got the Life” and “Blind” and you had one epic, exhausting and amazing night courtesy of KoRn. After “Blind,” Munky, Fieldy and Ray Luzier continued to rock as Davis told the crowd that KoRn has been a band for 18 years and it’s all thanks to the fans. There’s no doubt KoRn still have what it takes to move the crowd. They may have lost a few band members down the line, but they are definitely back and are on the rise once again.