Korn and Limp Bizkit, Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham - review
It's just one of those days.
You were late leaving work; the weather feels like an elephant is vomiting over you and now you are nestled on the train with one eye out the window and the other on your watch.
The best-laid plans of a catch up and a pint before the gig lie in tatters, and stress levels are preventing relaxation.
Just as well then, that Limp Bizkit were a damn sight better than the last time we saw them perform.
It was Sonisphere in 2014. Frontman Fred Durst looked disinterested. They spent half the set messing about and we didn't actually get to hear much before our ex had enough and sulked off to the toilet.
Here, though, they had fired up their A game. Essentially playing most of the expletive-laden Chocolate… album, it was hit after hit met with pit after pit.
Hot Dog led into Rollin' and by now Durst had them eating out of his hand. Eccentric guitarist Wes Borland looked like the most grandiose of street mime artists in a metallic suit and matching full-body paint. The rapport was instant.
They played through some storming numbers off that record – Full Nelson, Livin' It Up, Take A Look Around. The heavy breakdowns all had wide-eyed fanatics bouncing off one another and a strangely large number of jackets flying around the arena.
But perhaps the best reactions were saved for their ever-popular cover of George Michael's Faith and their infamous hit Break Stuff. As the arena shrieked 'give me something to break' at the top of their voices it was easy to forget the stresses of earlier and the only current worry was the man in front mistaking my knee for his wife's shoulder.
It was about to get louder and heavier, and for once Korn's sound seemed spot on. Sure, we lost Jonathan Davis' vocals among the first couple of numbers but that was sorted soon enough. Fieldy's bass, as magnificent as it is, can sometimes drown all else out, but the sound was crisp here and Ray Luzier sounded imperious on the lushest drum kit you could ever hope to see.
They, too, were up for some fun via a foot-tapping cover of Cameo's Word Up. They kept our attention with newer numbers Rotting In Vain and Insane, before things truly kicked off with the finger flipping Y'all Want A Single. They were now starting to really win around a crowd that before that had undoubtedly been Durst and Bizkit's.
The highlight of any Korn set is always, ALWAYS, when Davis whips out his bagpipes for Shoots And Ladders, and with heads banging they even mixed it in with Metallica's One for extra bonus points.
Davis seemed as happy to be there as Durst had been, splitting the crowd between guitarists Munky and Head for an entertaining mosh-off.
A nice tribute was paid to second record Life Is Peachy turning 20 with Twist and Good God, before the obligatory encore had everyone moving to the monolithic duo of Falling Away From Me and Freak On A Leash.
Sorry, what were we moaning about earlier? This was just one of those days, one you want to live a few more times before age catches up.
By Leigh Sanders
