Fresh off celebrating the 20th anniversary of the band's formation, Korn closed out the opening night of Rock on the Range 2013 leaving few disappointed on the first fully biller Friday of the festival's history. Getting back to the band's classic sound of James "Munky" Schaffer and Brian "Head" Welch's heavy seven-string guitars, Fieldy's unique bass plucking and Jonathan Davis' grinding vocals after flirting with dubstep on 2011's The Path to Totality, Korn proved to be a worthy headliner for the first night of Ohio's premier alternative rock festival.
The band kicked off its set just as it did its recording career with "Blind," the opening track of Korn's 1994 self-titled debut album. Davis' headbanging and the funk from Fieldy's low end kept the energy alive throughout Crew Stadium after a long line of acts preceded them on the MONSTER Energy Main Stage, starting at 4:00 P.M with "Head's" Christian metal project Love and Death.
Though not donning his trademark kilt this time, Davis brought out the bagpipes for the metal band's take on nursery rhymes, "Shoots and Ladders," before ripping into its rock radio hits "Here to Stay" and "Got the Life" while never losing the momentum.
Korn closed its hour-long set with the band's biggest hit ,"Freak on a Leash" from 1999's Follow the Leader, to finish the Friday bill. Davis left the stage promising a new album soon-- it's first since "Head" re-joined the band, assuring fans that Korn would be back in Columbus in the very near future.
Rock on the Range continues a with a full bill on Saturday, headlined by Smashing Pumpkins.
