Bonnaroo 2023 Artist Spotlight: Korn

Like we’ve been doing for many years now, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with many of our favorite acts from Bonnaroo‘s 2023 lineup. After roaring back to life last summer, after two years off due to Covid and weather, this year marks Bonnaroo’s 20th installment (and 22nd anniversary), boasting not only another great and varied lineup, but also more changes and improvements then we’ve seen in years, with more flexibility in ticketing and camping, a reimagined “Outeroo” campground area, new activations, and further new ways to Roo. Back once again in its usual June 15-18 timeframe, we’re counting down the days until another great weekend on the farm.

As we dig through the entire schedule, we’ll highlight a spread of performers spanning across genres and stages, big and small, new and old, to bring you some of the most interesting, lesser-known, and most highly-recommended among this year’s crop of artists. And as our time at ‘Roo approaches, we’ll also be bringing you some special features and full list-style daily lineup guides, to help you plan your weekend ahead of the fest. While these previews won’t span every artist, and might omit some more obvious must-see acts, we hope they’ll serve as a way to help you navigate Bonnaroo’s gargantuan lineup, and to make the most of your busy weekend at the fest!

Grab your tickets right here if you haven’t already, and read on for our Bonnaroo Artist Spotlight!

LEARN

Whether or not you’re a fan of nu metal (a genre which felt much more polarizing 25 years ago, but has seemingly been reevaluated with more of a nostalgic lens, going so far as being revived in some part by Gen Z artists), it’s undeniable that California rockers Korn did more to shape and inform it than any other band of their era. Formed in 1993 in Bakersfield (and eventually relocating to Los Angeles), at the height of the grunge and alt rock explosion, the band’s eponymous 1994 debut (which, again, was released in a vacuum before the nu metal scene really existed, going on to influence peers like Limp Bizkit and Slipknot) was met with positive critical response and commercial success, earning the group a Grammy nomination and eventually being certified double platinum. With its funk, hip hop, and industrial influences, dark and brooding angst, and bellowing and harsh guitar styles, nu metal took over the heavy music landscape (and become a dominant sound in rock music in general) in the late ’90s and early ’00s, which, like all popular genre movements, catapulted lot of groups with less artistic merit to fame as well, leading all bands to be lumped in together in a scene that, eventually, critics and more discerning rock fans soured on, as pop punk and new subgenres of metal took hold in the 2000s. If you revisit their catalogue though, particularly the debut, breakout third effort Follow the Leader, and 1999’s Issues, which served as a defining work of nu metal’s peak, Korn, despite their rough edges and some of the more questionable artistic choices of the late 2000s, are much more akin to, say, Deftones, than a Papa Roach or Stained. They also came to fame at a time when rockstars could still exist, selling more than 40 million albums, and dominating the radio and MTV landscape at the turn of the millennium. Not only has their original lineup stayed mostly intact for the last 30 years, but Korn have always stayed incredibly active, continuing to make new music at a prolific clip (sometimes even recording in Nashville) and sticking largely to their signature sound, while occasionally dipping into more alt metal and electronic influences. Over the last decade, as nu metal has experienced a critical reevaluation, their legacy has only grown more favorable, and they’ve continued to tour the world with both fellow hard rock legends and up and comers of today’s metal scene. Over the years, Korn have played a ton of major fests, from Lollapalloza to the now defunct Ozzfest, but this will be the band’s first Bonnaroo. The fact that it’s a late night set will make it all the more memorable.

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