Korn proves once again they are Here To Stay

REVIEW: KORN & BREAKING BENJAMIN
XCEL ENERGY CENTER in ST. PAUL, MN
2/7/2020
Review and photos by Brett Zisler

A frigid cold night during February in St. Paul, Minnesota wasn’t going to deter thousands of Korn fans from making their way in to the Xcel Energy Center on a Friday night. Almost 26 years later after the their self-titled album and fresh off the release of their new album “The Nothing,” rock titans, Korn, have embarked on a nation wide tour with Breaking Benjamin. And once again, Korn proved they are here to stay. (get it???)

What else is there that can’t already be said about the band that paved the way for a new generation of music and still finds themselves bringing their fans out in droves? The energy level in the Xcel Energy center went from zero to 100 in the span of time it took for the lights to dim and the curtain to illuminate before Korn made their way to the stage. As soon as the crowd heard the first notes of “Here to Stay, “ the crowd knew it was go time. Jonathan Davis stood front and center with his legendary mic stand as he bellowed out the chorus to the crowd as the echoed back the lyrics. James “Munky” Schaeffer & Brian “Head” Welch moved towards the front of the stage leading the intro to one of the biggest hits of the 1990’s “Blind” as it echoed through the halls of the Xcel Energy Center. The impact that song has on their live show is something that will never get old to me.

Korn weaved their way through new material such as “Cold”, “Can You Hear Me?” and “You’ll Never Find Me” and they followed them up with the classic fan favorites, “Got the Life,” “Freak on a Leash” and the bagpipe heavy “Shoots and Ladders.” One thing came to mind as the closed the show with their hit off the Issues album “Falling Away From Me.” This band really has lasted the test of time. From their early days in Bakersfield, Ca. and then onto when hardly anything heavy with a guitar was getting airplay on MTV and somehow morphing that into winning TRL over boy bands for the most requested video in America. It’s no secret Korn has seen their share of hard times, but the best part is that they are still here, and by the turnout in St. Paul, many are glad they still are.

Also on the bill for the night was the ever so popular Breaking Benjamin. Having the privilege of seeing them numerous times off their most recent album Ember its always amazing to me how this band can win crowds over. It’s almost like a wave rolling into shore as the momentum builds as they plow their way through hits like “Diary of Jane” “Until the End” and the heavy crowd favorite “Breath”.

The energy level keeps getting larger and larger as the set goes on. The feeling that Breaking Benjamin gives you as they completed their set with “So Cold” and “I Will Not Bow” is that they still have a long and lustrous career ahead, even after having a history of over 20 years.

SEE MORE OF BRETT's KORN PHOTOS HERE!

SEE MORE OF BRETT's BREAKING BENJAMIN PHOTOS HERE!