Korn with Stone Sour at the Budweiser Stage – Toronto, Ontario – July 25, 2017

Korn singer Jonathan Davis along with bassist Reginald Arvizu performing in Toronto at Budweiser Stage. (Photo Credit: Sue Hebert Sadzak)

Korn with Stone Sour
Budweiser Stage
Toronto, Ontario
July 25, 2017

Korn along with supporting act Stone Sour performed at the newly named Budweiser stage in Toronto recently promoting their Serenity of Summer Tour. Unbeknownst to me, I didn’t realize that frontman of Stone Sour was in fact Corey Taylor, singer of SlipKnot. As time was winding down to the start of Stone Sour‘s performance, the crowd chanted “F*ck Nickelback“. Asking a colleague what that was about, I was educated on the identity of their singer.

Generally, opening acts tend to have trickling attendance, although, with alternative metal act Stone Sour, the capacity remained consistent throughout the evening. Metalheads filled the outdoor venue, braving the heat wave, and riding the waves as crowds surfed into the pit. Horned hands and head banging encompassed the energetic crowd.

Corey Taylor put on an animated show that evening, flipping his faux-hawk every chance throughout their set. Admitting to injuring his knee earlier in the day, he wasn’t going to miss performing that evening. Guitarist Josh Rand entertained me with his fashion style, completely different than the norm for a metal act. Clad in a bowtie, he rocked it.

Their ten song setlist, included 3 songs off their latest album “Hydrograde”, which was released just one month prior to the show. of 2016.

Korn came out to a back splash of Mesa Boogie amps, a drum riser and a gigantic wall of sound. Their hour and half long set started with the track Rotting in Vain, a song off their last released album “The Serenity of Suffering”. From that moment on the crowd started with the tornadoes of mosh pits and crowd surfing. A perfect metal storm ensued. Nestled in safety of the seated area, I watched as Korn performed their set with a full on assault to the auditory senses of the audience. The sound was heavy and thick, yet not muffled. A perfect mix on the soundboard was appreciated and certainly noticed.

Midway through the set, the lights went down, and moments later frontman Jonathan Davis appeared with bagpipes, to play the song Shoots and Ladders. 

The last song before the encore, Corey Taylor joined Korn on stage to perform A Different World. A perfect pairing of both their vocal styles, the song came together flawlessly.

Like every other show I have been to this year, the always expected cover tune of choice for the evening was Queens We Will Rock You intertwined with their song Coming Undone.

Finishing off the evening, Korn performed the crowd favorite Freak on a Leash.

There’s nothing like spending a few hours, thrashing and having the energy of metal flowing through your veins. I loved the show as did all in attendance.

All photos by Sue Hebert Sadzak
©2017. Please DO NOT copy or use without permission.

Korn:

 

Stone Sour:

 

SHARE THIS POST:
Facebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmail

One comment

  1. Awesome photos Sue! You have a great eye and timing. Even managed to get a few shots of the drummer, which is not always easy. -GR.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *