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Rating: In just over an hour, and without displeasing any of the numerous fans (over 20,000 people) who gathered for their only Italian performance, the Korn reaffirmed—if it were ever needed—what is obvious to anyone who has seen them live at least once: Jonathan Davis's band has an edge over the many, inconsistent “nu-metal” meteors that plague today's rock world... and in this (uncomfortable) comparison, the main opening group of the evening, Puddle Of Mudd, discovered and produced by Fred Durst (the same Durst who, along with his Limp Bizkit, was launched—how coincidental!—by Korn themselves), made a very poor showing.
Returning to the P.O.M., I must admit it was quite embarrassing to witness the cocky reaction of the singer, "shocked" to such an extent by the throwing of some plastic bottles that he solemnly declared—and with notable disregard for the ridiculous—that he “felt very hated” by the Italian audience. Apart from this (unintentionally) comedic skit of Wes Scantlin's band, in the margin of Korn’s performance, the performances of the other two opening groups should be noted: the friendly Vendetta Red (a quintet of guys from Seattle who, to put it with a Frenchism, make a reasonable “caciara”... too disorganized, but above all led by a singer that's nothing short of deranged!) and the professional Trust Company from Alabama, who—in more than one song—showed a compact sound and some truly remarkable sonic attacks... probably the only (positive) revelation of the day.
After much going around, it's time to address Korn's performance. The explosive start, with a devastating "Here To Stay," makes it clear right from the beginning the band's intent: to exhaust and break down the audience in a very short time. To achieve this, the band takes us back to the days of Life Is Peachy (1996), resurrecting the psychotic riffs of "Twist," "Good God," and "A.D.I.D.A.S." After presenting some songs from Issues ("Trash") and from Follow The Leader (an even more "insane" version if possible of "Dead Bodies Everywhere"), it is time for Jonathan Davis to pose the fateful question to his fans: "ARE YOU READY?" The audience’s response is immediate... "Blind" is absolutely the song of the evening, both for its sonic impact and for the audience's involvement. Another noteworthy moment is the version of "Make Me Bad" with, instead of the final explosion, the unmistakable riff of "One" by Metallica.
The dilemma of a short concert like Korn's is that there's not even enough time to recover from the wild mosh on "Freak On A Leash" before the band is already back on stage for the final encore!!! For the last part of the show, Jonathan appears before the audience in a kilt with his inseparable bagpipes: it's time to let go to the eerie nursery rhymes of "Shoots And Ladders" before saying goodbye with an adrenaline-fueled version of "Got The Life"... a more than effective seal for a concert hard to forget.
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