Korn is out on their fall North American Tour with heavy hitting veterans Gojira and trailblazing Spiritbox. This show rocked the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, NJ on this fall feeling evening. The crowd was suprisingly thin for the start of the show for Spiritbox and somewhat filled on for Gojira's set. There were actually a large number of fans hanging out in the food area during Gojira's set that just seemed to be hanging out and enjoying the music from the picnic tables. Once Korn was about to hit the stage the capacity crowd filed into their seats, the pit and their positions on the lawn.
Spiritbox had a 40 minute, 6 song set that included fan favorites "Jaded" and "Circle with Me". They also broke out their new single "Soft Spine". Since this wasn't a headling set for them I feel like it lacked some energy. Like I had mentioned to crowd was kind of thin including the pit during their set so I am sure that the band didn't really feel it. They sounded great and put on a good show, I just feel like it wasn't their best effort.
Gojira hot off of their Olympic opening night performance definately brought the heat. While Gojira isn't the most animated band in metal they make up for it in pyro. Gojira played a jam packed 60 minute set that included 13 songs from their extensive catalogue. They opened their set with "Born for One Thing" which was a tour debut. It set the tone for a very heavy set of music and fire. The crowd was much more into Gojira's set, headbanging, throwing horns and a couple crowd surfers managed to make their way through the small pit and over the barricade. Gojira has cemented themselves in the metal scene over the years and have no signs of slowing down.
Korn has been a headling band for decades. They consitantly put on a great show filled with great music, raw energy and the metal spirit. Lead vocalist Jonanthan Davis commanded the stage all night running back and forth, singing hit after hit. They performed 18 songs over 90 minutes including "Dead Bodies Everywhere", "Got the Life", "Blind", "Y'all Want a Single", "Falling Away From Me" and they closed out the night with "Freak on a Leash".
I love watching Brian "Head" Welch and James "Munky" Shaffer so much. They are both charismatic yet mysterious on stage. They get lost in the moment and the fog and emerge with fying hair. Ra Diaz, who took over playing bass on tour when Fieldly temporarily departed in 2021, fits in perfectly. While I know the fans miss Fieldy, Ra is doing an amzing job and just looks happy to be alive on stage. Drummer Ray Luzier is the calmest metal drummer behind the kit. He will give an evil stare with a smile on his face, he is one of the best in the business.
The fans tore up the lawn with crazy mosh pits and even concert Santa took a ride out in the crowd. It was a great night of both new and classic metal performances. The genre is alive and well for generations to come.