Korn & Staind Come To The MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre With Special Guest 68

 

Tampa FL. (8/7/2021

Everywhere you looked at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre there were throngs of people dressed in various forms of black belying Florida’s notorious August heat and humidity. After all, the fans of hard rock titans Korn and Staind won’t be cowed into wearing anything that they don’t think is befitting of their love and devotion to these bands. So, a little bit of extra sweating on this night was a price worth paying to see these beloved groups.

Yes, tonight two-time Grammy award winning artist Korn and multiple chart-topping hard rock powerhouse Staind get to share the stage here in Tampa. As this was the first time in five years that Korn has played the Tampa area, and even longer since Staind has embarked on a tour, this was a highly sought-after ticket.  Joining them tonight as well as on the first half of this twenty-eight-date tour is ’68 a duo out of Atlanta GA.

Hitting the stage first was ’68. Dressed in similar black suits, guitarists/singer Josh Scogin and Nikko Yamada, were sunglasses and hats short of a Blues Brother vibe. Don’t let the dapper look fool you, their set is what they term high energy noise rock. With Yamada’s drum kit turned sideways and Scogins’s mic stand facing the drum kit, this unusual setup almost seemed as though they were performing for each other. The truth of the matter is they feed off of each other’s energy and it just adds to their show.  And what a show it was. During their time on stage Yamada would frequently stand up and get along side his kit to do his thing, while Scogins would sing either in front of his drummer or Play for the audience. At one point he showed the back side of his guitar to the audience which had “Thanks” written on it in large black letters. A very nice tip of the hat to everyone that came early to catch the full show.

After a one-off show back in 2017 Aaron Lewis the lead singer and cofounder of Staind said that they would never tour again. All the members went off to do other things including Aaron Lewis starting a solo country music career, and guitarist Mike Mushok going on to form Saint Asonia.  Everyone thought that was it for this much beloved band. After reforming for a few festival performances in 2019, there was a glimmer of hope, that finally bore fruition in Staind’s first major tour in over six years.

As the band made there way onto the stage, fill in drummer Chad Szeliga gave a wave to the cheering audience. As Mike Mushok picked up his guitar, and Johnny April grabbed his bass, the trio started playing then Aaron Lewis sauntered on to the stage, and they immediately launched into “Eyes Wide Open”. From the moment they started, there was no sense that they hadn’t been together for years. If anything, their hiatus and the time off from the pandemic breathed new life into them.  Aaron Lewis’s was in full command of his voice. You could feel the earnestness in his delivery of “Open Your Eyes” all the way to the full power he delivered in “Not Again”. Mike Mushok was a show unto himself. Besides spiting fiery licks and ripping out incredible solos all night, his high energy, hair flying performance was a sight to behold. At times he had so much energy it seemed as though he was hovering over the stage.

Of course, the set list was loaded with hit after hit, then again with a deep catalog of hits that isn’t exactly hard to accomplish. “Right Here” and “Outside” were clear crowd favorites judging by the rafter rattling sing a long’s that they were doing. “It’s Been A While” was another one that brought out the singers from the audience. They saved the best for last. When Jonny April started ripping into his signature bass line intro, everyone went nuts as they launched into an intense performance of “Mud Shovel”.

With out a doubt Staind put on a highly memorable show and on most nights the fans would leave satisfied and happy. But tonight, isn’t any ordinary night as there was one more act to take the stage. There was still genre redefining two-time Grammy Award winning band Korn to go.

With the Amphitheatre filled to what seemed like beyond capacity, the air was thick with pure electrical energy. Not only has it been quite literally years since Korn has made an appearance in the Tamp Bay area but coming off a pandemic people were busting at the seams for a night like this.  As the curtain dropped the crowd roared loud enough for the gods to hear and with that Korn launched into “Insane”. What an apt choice to start the evening as that is exactly what everyone did as they kicked off their part of the show. One that was immediately noticed and had been previously announced was that founding member and bassist Fieldy would not be taking part of the tour for personal reasons. Filling in for him would be Roberto “Ra” Diaz from the band Suicidal Tendencies.

Three songs into the night including “Falling Away From Me” and “Here To Stay” Jonathan Davis and his band mates were clearly and utterly on top of their game. Hearing him sing the lyrics “I’m gonna bring it down” while drummer Ray Luzier was pounding on the drums along with guitarists Munky, and Head and bassist Ra delivering thunderous work on their instruments had the crowd whipped into a massive frenzy. It wouldn’t be a Korn show without Jonathan Davis playing a bagpipe solo, while it wasn’t a surprise to all their fans, none the less they absolutely loved it and let him know it. Of course, this led right into “Shoots And Ladders”.  Instead of them playing the song straight up, they turned it into an extremely cool medley with the Metallica hit “One”. This wouldn’t be the only medley, during “Coming Undone” they mixed in the Queen megahit “We Will Rock You” with Jonathan Davis leading the audience in singing the iconic lyrics “We will rock you”.

Throughout the night the energy level kept building and was very much palpable. Between the incredible light show, the multi-level video screens and of course the flawless performances of songs like “You’ll Never Find Me”, “Can You Hear Me” and “Clown” the Amphitheatre was a veritable powder keg. When they launched into “Freak On A Leash”, the fuse was lit with their incendiary performance of it. When Jonathan Davis shouted the lyric “GO!” the place exploded. Mosh pits erupted, bodies went flying, and for every single person in the house it was a much-needed cathartic moment for everything that had been pent up inside.

After a welcomed break for the band as well as the audience, they kicked the encore off with a killer medley of “It’s On”,” Trash”, and “Did My Time”. It’s a good thing there was that break, as those songs alone put the show right back to full throttle. After “Twist”, and a slightly shortened due to time constraints version of “A.D.I.D.A.S”, Jonathan Davis thanked everyone for coming out and exhorted everyone to make some noise cause it feels good, which of course they had to oblige. As the band launched into the final song of the night “Blind”, Davis growled the iconic lyrics “Are you ready”, then canons went off throwing streams high into the crowd.  The concertgoers singing alone nearly drowned out the band. What a perfect ending to the night. Everyone was spent yet satiated, and all smiles as they made their way out and off to their cars.

If there ever was a night that fully delivered on some much-needed music, this was it. Between a pandemic that kept people cooped up at home, and the prospects of not one, but two of the very best bands on this planet on one bill. This evening was primed to be one of those shows that years from now fans will be saying “Yah, I was actually there that night”. If you were to ask anyone that was lucky enough to grab a ticket, they would certainly agree that this was an epic night, and many memories were made thanks to Staind and Korn coming to town.

 

68:

Staind:

Korn: