After a year that we can all agree was the weirdest, and hardest year we have ever experienced as a society live music is starting to come back. Live music coming back is a sign of normalcy, a sign of hope that things will be ok, and a sign that we can and will heal. I was able to attend the KoRn, Staind and ‘68 tour. The tour made its stop at the Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana on August 28th, 2021.

There was a sea of fans, ranging from life long fans, to new fans, some looking for nostalgia, and some looking for a rock show. None that attended could have left disappointed.

The night kicked off with ‘68 a rock duo that has so much energy and commands the stage with such a simple set up. Composed of literally the frontman/guitarist and a drummer the power and energy that comes off the stage from them is incredible. They were such a great opening act (and can easily move up the card) for this tour, the energy level of the crowd was amped up and ready to go for what the night had in store.

Staind took the stage and the crowd absolutely erupted. Taking the stage and kicking off with Eyes Wide Open it seemed fitting to match the energy of the crowd but also felt a little like a statement in line with the views of frontman Aaron Lewis. “Don’t force my hand when my eyes are wide open” he belts out to a screaming and engaged crowd.

Continuing through a wide mix of their catalog from songs appearing on Dysfunctional which was released in 2001, all the way through their self titled album which came out in 2011. The fact that the band hasn’t put out new music in a decade was no deterrent, or hinderance to power of their performance. Lewis can still get at it with the raspy, deep growls, and coming back into clean vocals. Whether you are a fan of Dysfunctional, 14 Shades of Gray, or Staind this show not only has something for you, but will definitely not leave you wishing that you hadn’t seen them live.

After a brief break so that they could get the stage changed out and a white curtain dropped, it was time for KoRn to take the stage. With the white curtain blocking the view of the stage, the music starts, purple lights start to flash on the curtain, the band logo comes across, and the energy and tension builds. The curtain drops and the crowd is floored by a great set design and just a wall of sound kicking them in the chest.

Kicking in with Insane, and Falling Away From Me the crowd was the loudest that they had been all night. Jonathan Davis then let fans know that he is recovering from his COVID-19 experience. He told everyone that he was going to go as hard as he could, but he wanted to have fans giving him the energy back by singing along and being loud. He admitted he would have to sit down some while performing and fans would notice that he had an oxygen mask on a table beside the throne on stage to give him a boost between songs.

It was so impressive to watch the band power through this time, and for Davis to be able to perform all of these tracks with very little taken away from it even while recovering from a very serious respiratory issue is incredible.

They performed hits from all the albums, and even hitting some “deep cuts”. Hitting fans with songs like Victimized, Cold, Shoots and Ladders, and a super cool version of Coming Undone that featured a sample and sing along of We Will Rock You by Queen.

Closing out the main set with Freak On A Leash was such a power move. The fans were so loud and were vibing in their energy. When the lights went down and the band left the stage, the fans were hungry for more, chanting “one more song” as we all do at shows. Returning to the stage to play a 4 song encore it felt like they could have went for another hour and fans would not have been tired of it or given up on the show.

If you’ve ever been a fan of Staind, or KoRn I highly suggest you get out and see this tour if it is near you. Again with Jonathan Davis recovering from COVID-19 do not let that stop you from seeing this show, he still puts out everything he possibly can for fans.