KORN & GOJIRA Set West Palm Beach Ablaze

Three many years in the past, Korn successfully redefined the metallic panorama with the discharge of their self-titled debut album, forging the trail for nu-metal as a subgenre, and bringing it to the forefront of mainstream music. Nobody may have predicted that 30 years later, each the band and this seminal album would stay as influential as ever, persevering with to pack amphitheaters and arenas throughout the globe.

This previous Saturday night time, Korn introduced their signature, exhilarating stay present to West Palm Seaside’s iTHINK Monetary Amphitheater, performing to a sold-out crowd of 20,000 passionate followers, who defied the standard South Florida summer time warmth and gathered to have a good time their storied musical profession.

Earlier than Korn took the stage, the Florida viewers was handled to a set from French metallic heavyweights Gojira, a band that has skyrocketed to worldwide fame following their efficiency on the 2024 Summer time Olympics opening ceremony — really a landmark second for metallic as a style.

It feels noteworthy to keep in mind that lengthy earlier than that monumental occasion, Gojira had already garnered an immense variety of accolades, based mostly on the regular high quality of their albums, which have introduced them from anonymity to change into the de-facto metallic pressure of their nation and one of many main bands within the metallic scene worldwide.

To say Gojira exceeded any set expectations can be an understatement. Their stay present was nothing in need of relentless, few bands at this time can match the sheer seismic energy they create to the stage. From the second they opened with “L’Enfant Sauvage,” accompanied by their signature pyro results, their efficiency was as exact because it was bone-shakingly heavy. Joe Duplantier‘s primal growls and Mario Duplantier‘s masterful drumming have been awe-inspiring, with standout moments on tracks like “Poisonous Rubbish Island,” “Spine” and “The Cell.”

“Flying Whales” was a monumental second of their set, the beloved minimize basically sending the group right into a whirl, whereas the anticipated, and not-so-subtle nod to French historical past,  got here with the inclusion of “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça Ira!)”, the aforementioned music that has catapulted them to mainstream consideration. Gojira closed their set with “Amazonia,” the folk-infused music they wrote as a car for environmental activism and elevating consciousness for the Amazon’s rainforest deforestation, actually a thought-provoking second that type of counteracted the cruel heaviness that preceded, but served as an apropos and epic nearer for probably the most crushing and memorable performances this venue has ever seen.

With Korn‘s in depth catalog, crafting a recent setlist for every tour have to be a frightening job, however the band hit the mark completely this time. Because the curtain dropped and so they opened with “Right here to Keep,” a tidal wave of nostalgia and adrenaline surged by way of the group – the sights of our bodies sporting Korn‘s tees prolonged so far as the attention may see. 

Jonathan Davis, clad in his signature jumpsuit—this time a putting purple—dominated the stage, strolling left and proper, his snarls slicing by way of the thunderous sound of the band. Drummer Ray Luzier was a pressure of nature, relentlessly pounding his drumkit with unmatched depth, usually stealing the highlight together with his high-energy, face-contorting actions. The night time’s most important course consisted of a mixture of fan-favorite anthems and deep cuts, from the ferocious “Useless Our bodies All over the place” to the haunting “Hey Daddy,” a uncommon gem dusted off for this tour, having not been performed stay since 1999, with a lot of the setlist drawing from their first 4, and most celebrated, albums.

Highlights included a robust rendition of “Shoots and Ladders,” which featured a snippet of Metallica‘s “One” and Davis breaking out his iconic bagpipes, alongside explosive performances of “Acquired the Life” and “A.D.I.D.A.S.” Guitarists James “Munky” Shaffer and Brian “Head” Welch have been in high kind, shredding and headbanging of their signature body-bent-forward poses, whereas bassist Ra Diaz anchored the crushing low finish, locking in with Luzier‘s ferocious drumming to maintain the group transferring all night time.

As quickly because the opening riff of “Blind” hit — the observe that first launched them into the metallic highlight again in 1994 — your complete amphitheater erupted in synchronized headbanging. Davis‘ uncooked vitality was palpable, and the group roared again the music’s iconic opening line, “Are you prepared?” The sweltering night time reached its peak as Korn tore into their encore, delivering fan-favorite singles “Falling Away From Me,” “Oildale (Depart Me Alone),” and a frenetic, moshpit-inducing efficiency of “Freak on a Leash” to shut out a set that left the viewers buzzing lengthy after the ultimate observe.