{"id":13335,"date":"2016-11-01T15:20:26","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T22:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/?p=13335"},"modified":"2016-11-05T10:47:09","modified_gmt":"2016-11-05T17:47:09","slug":"not-rotting-in-vain-korn-plays-private-record-release-show-in-downtown-la","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/gig_reviews\/2016\/11\/01\/not-rotting-in-vain-korn-plays-private-record-release-show-in-downtown-la\/","title":{"rendered":"Not Rotting In Vain: Korn Plays Private Record Release Show In Downtown LA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Images & words\u00a0by Brad Worsham<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"img_2118\"<\/a><\/p>\n

October 21st 2016, The Theatre @ Ace Hotel, Los Angeles CA: <\/strong>When I read the press release that Korn would be releasing their 12th studio album ‘The Serenity of Suffering’, my first thought was how is it possible that this is their 12th album. The 2000 Summer Sanitarium show at the LA Coliseum was the last time that they seemed to be a relevant band. It must be hard to try to keep writing angsty lyrics, and have the same sound and look, when you no longer have some of the issues that made you who you were. You may not have things so bad when the biggest problem that you can write songs about deals with the pressure your record company is putting on you to release a single. Furthermore, it is undoubtedly the coolest microphone stand created, but when you commission H.R. Giger to create a mic stand, you no longer are dealing with \u201cthe real world\u201d. Seeing the microphone stand on stage before the show, covered up, waiting to be unveiled, drives this point home.<\/p>\n

I see Korn as a \u201cnostalgia act\u201d. By that, I mean a band that could continue to tour successfully without putting out new music, basically resting on playing the hits from their first four albums (pre Y2K). I heard that Korn was \u201cgetting back to their roots\u201d, but honestly how many times have we heard that about any band that has been around for over a decade. In preparation for the show, I decided to listen to the new album and to be honest, I couldn\u2019t get past the first song. It was everything that I\u2019ve seen Korn grow into and far from \u201cgetting back to their roots\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"img_1715\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This show was not only a record release party, but also was being broadcast live on SiriusXM\u2019s Octane channel. The show was being held in downtown Los Angeles at the Theater at the Ace Hotel. I had never been to a show at this venue and after seeing photos, I was excited to see the venue in person. The theater built in the 1920s is still a working movie theater that also has live performances. The ornate theater seemed to be a perfect venue for the style conscious band. This show was a great opportunity for SiriusXM winners to see Korn in a relatively intimate 1,600 seat theater, rather than the last time I saw them at Knotfest 2015 in front of 40,000 people.<\/p>\n

The show, being aired live, started shortly after 8 PM. As the lights dropped in the theater, you could see Ray Luzier\u2019s shadow on the backlit curtain hiding the stage. The crowd goes crazy as Ray raises the sticks over his head, the curtain drops and rest of the band can be seen as they launch into ‘Right Now’ and ‘Here to Stay’ before debuting their first new song ‘Take Me’. The set list contained a good mix of new and old songs, playing all the favorites\/hits that you would expect including ‘Blind’, ‘Twist’, ‘Freak on a Leash’, and ‘Shoots and Ladders’ which included a 2-minute detour into Metallica\u2019s ‘One’. The new songs sounded great live, and I\u2019ll give the new album another shot based on the live performance.<\/p>\n

More photos:<\/strong><\/p>\n