By Mayra Ramales…King 810, Korn and Slipknot brought the rage this Saturday night (Dec 6th) to the IZOD Center in New Jersey. As part of their Prepare for Hell World Tour, Saturday nights show was their second to last date in the states, ending their tour on December 7th in Boston, Massachusetts.
Slipknot and Korn are best remembered for being staple acts of the Nu-Metal genre back in the late 90’s. Slipknot became symbolic for their horror looking masks and for their distinct sound. Emerging around the same time, Korn and Slipknot set themselves apart from any other metal act before them. Everything from using DJ’s to mixing rap and metal in one to build a new genre which helped catapult both bands to a higher level of success.
Now 16 years later, the bands that started it all continue to tour and reach out to fans that have grown up with them. The IZOD center was filled with fans, both old and new. Parents, grandparents and young teens all came out to support nu-metal. The ground level of the arena was filled with those who dared to feel the chaos of reckless teenagers.
Korn hit the stage and began teasing fans with the intro to their song “Twist”, then going straight into it with their hit “Here To Stay.” Front man Jonathan Davis asked how fans were doing to which fans screamed, filling up the venue with excitement. Although their set only lasted 45 minutes, the band managed to play their biggest hits including “Blind”, “Coming Undone”, “Falling Away From Me” and of course, the song that broke them into the mainstream, “Freak On A Leash.”
As if the venue couldn’t get any more packed, it did right before Slipknot went on. A thick blue curtain covered the stage, and so fans were left anxiously waiting for them to appear. When the lights went off, the venue erupted with screams as the chaos began. The band started with the intro from their newly released album The Gray Chapter, “XIX” and then began with the evilness that is “The Heretic Anthem.”
Although the band has had a few members gone (Bassist Paul Gray and drummer Joey Jordison), the changes went unnoticed. The tour marks the debut of new touring members Alessandro Venturella (bass) and Jay Weinberg (drums). Together the band performed with an incomparable stage presence. The stage setup included the face of Satan sticking out of the wall high above the stage, stage pyrotechnics and hydraulic drum risers.
Never had there been such reckless fans as there were for Slipknot- throwing things around, pushing and shoving each other, and creating a huge mosh pit. The bands set list included hits like “Before I Forget”, “Wait and Bleed”, “Spit It Out”, as well as new ones like “The Devil In I” and their final song “Custer.”
Though fans refused to leave without an encore and remained put in their place until Slipknot resurfaced again. The bands encore included “Intro/(Sic)”, “People=Shit” and the final song “Surfacing.” Although a cold and rainy night, fans left the IZOD center being amazed at a great show.
