Korn/Disturbed/Trust Company - Verizon Wireless Arena - Manchester, NH (10.8.02)
Posted by Josh Nason on 10.09.2002
The Pop Sux tour kicks off in a big, loud way.
Without a doubt, Korn has become one of those lucky few bands that influence
not just fans, but a whole subculture of music as well. After five albums
and huge mainstream success, the 'grandfathers of nu metal' kicked off their
Pop Sux tour Tuesday night to a raucous and diverse New Hampshire crowd that
took everything Korn had and then some.
Opening with "Here To Stay," the five-piece band appeared in front of a
giant video screen that was cut to resemble a tv. The opening video was a
montage of newsbits, shots of the band and pre-produced material with a
young boy that was featured throughout the night. Other than the normal
lights, Korn used the videos (full of disturbing and graphic images direct
from the minds of bassist Fieldy/Jonathan Davis) for almost every song but
not so much as to distract from the music.
Lead singer Davis was in a good mood...well, as much as a good mood as you
could expect from the dark overlord of rock. Powering through much of the
'Untouchables' disc, guitarists Munky and Head provided the usual sinister
guitars that, at times, drowned out Davis' vocals. At times, it took a few
seconds to figure out what song they were playing.
But once you did, it was simply awesome. "Freak On A Leash," "Dead Bodies
Everywhere," "Wake Up Hate," "Blind," "Alone I Break"...the list just keeps
going. There was no letdown song, nothing that jumped to forefront as a wow
moment, even though covering part of Metallica's "One" during one of the
songs was pretty damn close. The Korn show was everything I expected to be -
a loud, crushing rock show that didn't leave anything to the imagination or
the want list. The encore featured "Chutes N'Ladders" and "Got The Life,"
capped by a surprise that I won't give away here.
The Pop Sux tour also features Disturbed, a band that has increased in
popularity after their excellent debut album, 'The Sickness.' Lacking the
opening theatrics that has been a part of past shows (lead singer Dave
Draiman once came out in an electric chair and was executed), the group put
on a straight-ahead rock show.
To me, Draiman is a 'rock diva,' falling just short of Stapp-status. He just
has this amazing stage presence that resonates through any arena he plays
in, sucking in everyone in his path. Disturbed played the majority of their
new 'Believe' disc, grabbing "Down With The Sickness," "Fear," and "Voices"
from their past. Closing with "Prayer" and "Stupify," Disturbed put on
another great performance - even if they didn't play Shout 2000.
Then, there was Trust Company, a band I really looked forward to seeing.
Unfortunately, Trust Co. didn't live up to the expectations delivered by
their debut album, 'The Lonely Position Of Neutral." The vocals from singer
Kevin Palmer just didn't deliver and the rest of the band just seemed to be
lacking something and seemed out of place. But they're young, probably
nervous for the first show on the tour, so I'll give the benefit of the
doubt.
The 411: Trust Company disappointed, but Korn and Disturbed tore up the VWA and were well-worth the money. If you're a fan of new metal or any kind of hard rock, go to this show and support the Anti-Pop.
