Korn, Stone Sour, Skillet Slay on Serenity of Summer Tour

(TRR) This summer, Korn enlisted fellow hard rock juggernauts Stone Sour and Skillet for their Serentity of Summer Tour. With Yelawolf adding some alt-rap flavor, the mini-festival became a monstrous mini-festival that is packing venues across the county.

Yelawolf didn’t exactly fit the bill for this show, but then again who cares? Back in the 90s, Korn really didn’t fit any bill. I mean, this the nu-metal band that successfully released an electronic record (2011’s The Path of Totality). “I want to trail-blaze. I want to change things. I want to do things we’re not supposed to do,” frontman Jonathan Davis said the album at the time.

So, adding Yelawolf to the lineup isn’t really that odd. Plus, the dude has some serious chops and he looks rock ‘n’ roll as fuck. The Gadsden, Alabama native ripped through material from his first two studio LPs. His third effort Trial By Fire is due out this year.

Skillet are an absolutely dominate live act. Arguably better on stage than in the studio, the group makes a living combining soaring melodies with bone-crushing riffs and percussion. After opening with “Feel Invincible,” the Skillet rock out with “Awake and Alive,” “Hero,” “Comatose,” and others.

Before playing their hit “Sick of It,” frontman John Cooper said, “You know what I’m sick of? I’m sick of losing our rockstars to suicide.” The pain could be heard in his voice, as the band proceeded to pay tribute to Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington. The set concluded a few tracks later with “Monster.”

Stone Sour have becoming one of rock’s unstoppable forces. The band are riding the wave of their sixth studio album Hydrograd which debuted at #8 on the Billboard Top 200 and #1 on Billboard Hard Rock Albums less than a month ago. The band opened with a cut off the new record – “Taipei Person/Allah Tea.” The proceeded to give fans a taste of two more tracks from Hydrograd – “Song #3” and “Fabuless,” the latter of which concluded their set.

Other highlights were “Made of Scars,” “Say You’ll Haunt Me,” “Do Me A Favor,” and “Absolute Zero” with included some serious help from the near-capacity crowd. Stone Sour’s best moment was arguably their ultra-heavy burner “30/30-150.” When all is said and done, Stone Sour will have earned their rightful place among the biggest giants of rock music.

Korn are one of the great music acts of their generation. Not only that, but they’ve proven they have staying power. They’re creativity has been an unstoppable force for over 20 years. This summer, they are also proving that they are still a force to be reckoned with in a live setting. Korn powered through an 18-song set that included “Did My Time,” “Here To Stay,” “Shoots and Ladders,” “Got The Life,” the ultra-heavy “Coming Undone,” plus classics like “Got The Life” and “Falling Away From Me.”

Fans got a special treat when Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor joined the band for “A Different World” at the end of the set. After that, Korn returned to satisfy the crowds’ demand for an encore. They delivered in a big way with “4 U,” their breakthrough hit “Blind,” “It’s On!” and their seminal gem “Freak On A Leash.”

LIVE GALLERY: The Serenity of Summer Tour [Korn | Stone Sour | Skillet | Yelawolf]

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