Odd indeed is the mechanics of fame, of this I pondered much at the sold out Korn show at Amager Bio in Copenhagen.
It is clear to anyone who has ever attended school that there is a clear divide between people, let’s call them A-class and 1-class so as not to put one above the other in importance. Now, the A-class is filled with the people who thrive on visibility and success measured in sociability, looks and physical prowess, while the 1-class rather thrive on intellectual and/or artistic success, letting their results speak for them while not always pushing the I that is the person to the front.
Admittedly I am painting a picture with some very broad strokes here, but the split is there and it does affect the lives of those involved.
Now then, how does all this relate to a Korn concert for drunken Danes?
Well, Korn as a band has from the very beginning of their career been a spokesperson for the 1-class group, taking those who do not thankfully fit into the norm of what is right and appreciable under their wing. Jonathan Davis has retaliated against evils done by the A-class in many lyrics, and have often pulled into question the validity of a society that premieres leaders over achievers.
Still not clear on what this has to do with the show? Well, I’m getting there.
With the well-deserved fame Korn has amassed over the years, their once frowned upon music has more and more found acceptance beyond the boundaries of their original class, even unintentionally (I must assume) leaving some of their original supporters, the people that are most often at the centre of Korn’s stories, behind them.
And so we have finally arrived at the evening’s concert, where I found myself surrounded in the crowd by pumped jocks and bleached cheerleader types...

On the stage a zapping news-clip display announced the beginning of a show which turned out to involve a band firing on all cylinders. All of the band members were full of energy, Ray Luzier, being the only one unable to move and jump like the others instead often played around with his drumsticks by throwing them high into the air and almost always catching them on the way down.
The big thing tonight seemed to be that this was the first Danish show with original guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welch back in the fold – I honestly have not spent enough time with the band to figure out any specific personal traits the guys bring to the show, but he was just as much into it as the rest of the band, meaning he was very lively to watch, and he sported a nice Amish looking beard.
Speaking of beards, Reginald ‘Fieldy’ Arvizu’s beard was uncharacteristically light in tone. At first I thought that it was an age thing, but it didn’t take long before it was revealed that he had just coloured it in a UV reacting colour, making look at bit more trippy when this light was on.

Having noticed that not a lot of energy was wasted on the support act Hacktivist, I was glad to see that at least Korn got a lot of love from the Danish crowd – the floor was literally moving beneath my feet under the pressure! As if this was any given boyband, or Elvis or The Beatles if you want to go further back, there was also the mandatory carrying out of a girl with had swooned in front of her idols. As it happened already in the third song, Got The Life, I hope for her sake that she made a speedy recovery and was able to see as much as possible of the rest of the show.
The set was a big mix of old and new, not surprisingly spending a bit more time on the newest album, The Paradigm Shift and the breakthrough album Follow The Leader, but all in all Korn managed to touch on most of their releases at some point. The delivery was very strict and tight, where no time was left for improvised fun. In fact, Davis almost didn’t speak a word to us during the concert, and yet they managed to come off as being in the moment. The only thing that could, and should, have been left out was the completely pointless drum solo. Sorry Luzier, but even at their best these parts tend to be mindless fillers, and this was far from the best.
The one break away from the mould of the show was the birthday song sung by Davis, although I can’t figure out who it was for.

All in all though, this was a surprisingly entertaining event. I agree wholeheartedly with Lunah Lauridsen’s statement that “this is the best these guys can deliver”.
Yet I was left pondering on how the band feels about the fact that the class of people now paying good money to see them is the opposite class from which they grew, and at the same I can’t help but wonder about whether tonight’s crowd gave any thought to the fact that it is people like themselves that Korn often attack in the lyrics they so happily sang along to...

Setlist:

Falling Away From Me
Twist
Got The Life
Love & Meth
Narcissistic Cannibal
Dead Bodies Everywhere
Spike In My Veins
Get Up!
Did My Time
Shoots And Ladders / Somebody Someone
Coming Undone
Here To Stay
Solo (Luzier)
Never Never
Freak On A Leash
Clown
Blind