Review + Photos
(TRR) – Korn and Breaking Benjamin kicked off their 2020 winter tour last night with special guests Bones UK. The package proved to be a solid one, as the three acts packed the PPL Center in Allentown, PA. In an era where heavy music acts are teaming up to tackle bigger rooms, this bill is certainly something fan are going to come see.
Bones UK opened the evening a mere 72 hours before they had to catch a flight across the country. The British duo are nominated for their first GRAMMY Award for Best Rock Performance for their single “Pretty Wasted.” However, they weren’t about to miss sharing the stage with the likes of Korn and Breaking Benjamin.
Their set started with the fan-favorite “Creature” and included their incredible cover of David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans.” They wrapped things up with the GRAMMY-nominated “Pretty Wasted.” Their live performance is mesmerizing, as the live environment is where Bones UK truly shines. The crowd took to them quite nicely, and they truly set the tone for the night and the tour.
Since their return from hiatus in 2015, Breaking Benjamin have returned to mainstream rock status. They’re touring in support of their wildly successful studio album Ember, which came out in 2018. The disc debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, at hit No. 1 on the Top Rock, Hard Rock, and Alternative albums charts. Their live show matches their chart success – a full-on arena juggernaut.
Breaking Benjamin played a balanced set, performing tracks from every album in their catalog. After opening with their smash hit “The Diary of Jane,” they churned out “Polyamorous,” “Blow Me Away,” “Sooner or Later,” “Red Cold River,” their seminal “So Cold,” and others. They wrapped things up with the anthem “I Will Not Bow.”
If there was any shred of doubt remains that Breaking Benjamin are back, those thoughts will be gone after this tour.
Korn are at a point in there career where they could easily use their greatest hits as a touring crutch, but they simply refuse – and that’s a good thing. The band played three tracks from their acclaimed new album The Nothing, which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart. From the record, “Can You Hear Me,” “Cold,” and “You’ll Never Find Me” were mixed seamlessly into the set.
While Korn have quite an impressive catalog now, they performed tracks from eight of their studio albums. Highlights included the opener “Here To Stay” which went right into their seminal banger “Blind.” Other heavy hitters were “Got The Life,” “Rotting In Vain,” and “Make Me Bad.” The closed the set with their breakout hit “Freak On a Leash.”
Never ones to disappoint, Korn returned for a four-song encore that included the ultra-heavy “Coming Undone” and concluded with “Falling Away From Me.”
Even though the band just wrapped up another extensive co-headlining tour with Alice In Chains, Korn still seemed fresh and full of energy. They’ve quietly become one of the hardest-working acts in music. While some similar bands are still running on the fumes of the early 2000s nu-metal craze, Korn haven’t stopped moving. They’ve grown, evolved, and experimented – and they deserve all the credit in the world.
LIVE PHOTO GALLERY:
