Anyone For Korn Karaoke?
Korn at the last minute have been stuck with bad luck. With the news of Jonathan Davis being rushed to hospital, the band found themselves in a difficult position. Instead of backing out totally, they opted to train up singers from other bands to help them out.
With this in mind, the set they play is late, and fifteen minutes shorter than originally planned. The sound balance is poor- with the instruments turned up loud to compensate for the unusual vocalists. We're treated to 'It's On' to begin with. Jesse Hasek from 10 Years provides vocals. Having been impressed with their set on the third stage, seeing his voice drowned out like this is a little sad. Next up, Avenged Sevenfold frontman M Shadow helps out singing 'Falling Away From Me'. The fans watching the set nod their heads politely but it is clear that without Johnathan there, it is not the real Korn.
Devildriver ended up playing two of their own sets and frontman Dez Fafara also lends his voice to two songs in the Korn Karaoke- 'Somebody' and 'Coming Undone'.
However, with Benji Webb of Skindred, the set improves with his performance of A.D.I.D.A.S, before Corey Taylor, of Slipknot and Stone Sour saves the day. Whilst the vocals were increased for Benji, for the first time in the set the sound technicians don't fear letting people actually hear the singer. Corey Taylor proves exactly why he is leading two very successful bands. Like Joey Jordison helped Metallica out in 2004, Taylor comes to the rescue with his rendition of 'Clown'.
But then the real surprise comes. Taylor then launches into 'Freak on a Leash' and whilst it might not be the most polished version that Korn have ever played, Taylor manages the rap... the famous rap that Davis is so famous for. The set proves exactly why Korn are so respected- losing a frontman to illness and still finding the courage to play with people who have volunteered to step in is impressive, and what Corey Taylor achieves is even more impressive. Regardless of what you think of Slipknot, they are a collection of highly talented gentlemen and having helped out highly respectable bands on two separate occasions now, they have proved they're a valuable asset to metal.
Finally, Matt Heafy of Trivum appears on stage to sing 'Blind'. Once again the vocals are drowned out by the members of Korn and the main screens on the stage are used to show the lyrics for the crowd to sing along- perhaps a diversion because Heafy wasn't able to remember all the words?
Either way, the outcome of this unusual set is that Korn are brave to continue on regardless of Davies being taken to hospital- it's refreshing to see a band that truly cares about their fans and want to play regardless.
To read about what was wrong with Jonathan Davis, click here.