If you’re a 40-something nu-metal fan, your eardrums had 12 days to recover from the Deftones show. If they hadn’t, too bad — they were in for another pounding of the metal variety.
Loathe hit the stage first with a surge of post-hardcore and shoegaze. Kadeem France’s screams and haunting melodies set a moody tone. The band had a raw energy that never faltered, a quiet intensity that contrasted what was to come. An already packed house gave them an ovation.
The metal Frenchmen from across the pond, Gojira, were next on the bill. They received an ovation the likes of which many headliners would be envious. Greeting the crowd in French is essentially a cheat code that activates maximum crowd noise.
They kicked the set off with “Only Pain,” using a full stage setup that again was befitting a headliner. The opening riff to “Stranded” set the pit into a frenzy. Having a sea of humanity making waves was the perfect segue into “Flying Whales.”
Anyone holding strings left the stage, leaving drummer Mario Duplantier to entertain the crowd with a series of signs. He asked the crowd if they wanted more double bass drums, then asked if they had stamina for five minutes straight. Did he deliver? Yes. Did they have the stamina? Also yes.
Vocalist Joe Duplantier told the story of a time when the French were forced to start removing the aristocracy’s heads from their shoulders for blatant corruption of the political system. He said maybe it’s a sentiment applicable to current events, and it inspired “Ah! (Ça Ira),” the song that brought them to the world stage for the Olympic opening ceremonies.
For anyone who owns a purple sequin Adidas jumpsuit, your moment of glory had arrived. It was time for the only band that can pull off such a high dreadlock-to-white-guy ratio: Korn. A familiar riff filled the air, slowly building, with the occasional bassline. The curtain dropped, the lights went up, the crowd was baited, and there was only one question needed for everyone’s simultaneous release: “Are you ready?”
All hell broke loose in the Bell Centre. I saw a 70-something white-haired lady in a full plaid tracksuit throw elbows in the reds, and I knew this crowd was going to be on point. As if they feared losing a single iota of momentum, “Blind” led straight into “Twist.” If you’ve never been in a crowd trying to metal scat along with Jonathan Davis, you’re really missing out on a core life experience.
“Here to Stay” and “Got the Life” dared anyone to sit down, as laser bars came from the ceiling and put the band in fluorescent green prison cells.
“Clown” and “Porno Creep” tugged on our nostalgia strings while the background turned into a creepy glowing forest you could only assume was filled with malevolent spirits. Luckily, they were too busy missing two to come after us.
Mr. Davis then reminded us that he is the most famous bagpipe player of all time, leading us into the celebration of childhood trauma that is “Shoots & Ladders.” It was topped off with the heavy part of Metallica’s “One.”
“Coming Undone” had heads banging in unison, with a quick chorus of “We Will Rock You” in the middle. Davis was pirouetting around the stage with his leather kilt twirling. Then everyone turned into a 16-year-old again, singing along to “A.D.I.D.A.S.”
After a trip through Issues, Davis got the entire crowd to raise their middle fingers and yell “f#ck that sh!t,” leading into the main set closer “Y’all Want a Single,” where everyone took full advantage of the previous vocal exercise to sing along.
After a couple minutes of the obnoxious “oles,” the screen flashed “more?” The crowd said nah and we all went home.
Just kidding. The band came back out and played “4U.” A picture of Ozzy came on the screen in a big red heart and the crowd went ballistic, chanting the late deity of darkness’ name.
“Falling Away From Me” and “Divine” set the stage for the big finale, which was of course “Freak On a Leash.” For every ounce of energy this crowd exuded throughout the night, they doubled it for the breakdown. Everything was left in the Bell Centre.
People give nu-metal a bad rap. But here we are, 30 years later, and Deftones and Korn are still filling arenas and stadiums at the top of their game. System of a Down tear the roof off the Skydome. Limp Bizkit just released a new banger throwing shade at a new generation of artists, and new Slipknot is right around the corner. Growing old doesn’t have to suck if the bands you grew up with refuse to get old too.
Review – Richard Brunette
Photos – Ryan Rumpel
