“K-Rockathon”
Korn, Stone Sour, Skillet, Yelawolf, Ded, Red Sun Rising
Wednesday, July 19th, 2017
Lakeview Amphitheater, Syracuse, NY
Our score: 3.5 out of 5 stars
The sprawling Lakeview Amphitheater was filled nearly to capacity on July 19th for the return of K-Rock’s annual “K-Rockathon”. After a one year hiatus and moving to a new venue the concert was back as promised delivering a stellar, somewhat diverse bill featuring the likes of Yelawolf, Stone Sour and Korn which the Syracuse crowd went crazy for.
Kicking of the main bill of the show was upcoming rock act Red Sun Rising who put on a brief but spot on set which helped get the crowd going and excited for the acts to come. Ded would hit the stage next and sadly did nothing for me. The band’s sound was nothing new nor, was the white contact lenses some of the bands member donned. Thankfully their set was brief as it came off very flat. Shady Records artist Yelawolf would take the stage next flanked by a giant riser that looked like the front of a classic Chevrolet complete with working lights and smoke. Together with DJ Klever the duo had the crowd on their fit from beginning to end. Being the only hip-hop artist on an all rock bill can certainly make you the underdog however that was definitely not the case here as fans seemed to be really into the performance. Skillet would follow with an energetic set which had fans singing to a few of their more well known songs including “Feel Invincible”, “Hero” and the always popular “Monster”. The band looked great and sounded even better and those on hand showed their appreciation in giant waves of applause and cheers. Stone Sour was up next and wasted no time getting their set under way. Front-man Cory Taylor worked the crowd like the season pro he is while his fellow band mates put forth stellar performances as they shredded through songs like “Made of Scars”, “Tired” and the chart topping “Song #3”. At several points during the set Taylor either made his way out into the crowd or doused those in close proximity with showers of confetti via a giant cannon like shooter. It was hard to tell who was having more fun the band or those watching the band as the energy during the set was definitely at a high. Closing out the night were veteran metalers Korn. After making a couple trips around the venue and seeing all the various Korn apparel that was being worn you could clearly tell who people were there to see. As soon as the band hit the stage basked in blue and white light it was on. The 5 piece band from Bakersfield, California were straightforward in their approach and wasted no time between songs as they gave the Syracuse crowd exactly what they came for. Hits such as “Falling Away From Me”, “Got The Life” and “Freak On A Leash” seemed to grab the biggest applause while deeper tracks such “Shoots And Ladders”, “Twist” and “Make Me Bad” satisfied longtime Korn fans.
It was great to see K-Rock fulfill their promise with the return of this year’s “K-Rockathon”. When an annual concert that has been around for 20 years decides to take a year off you sometimes question will it ever come back? Thankfully it did and the hometown crowd definitely showed their appreciation by coming out in droves on a Wednesday night to fill the expansive new venue. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year.
Stone Sour Set List:
1.) Taipei Person/ Allah Tea
2.) Made of Scars
3.) Say You’ll Haunt Me
4.) 30/30-150
5.) Tired
6.) Do Me A Favor
7.) Song #3
8.) Through Glass
9.) Absolute Zero
10.) Fabuless
Korn Set list:
1.) Rotting In Vain
2.) Falling Away From Me
3.) Did My Time
4.) Here To Say
5.) Clown
6.) Shoots And Ladders
7.) Twist
8.) Got The Life
9.) Coming Undone
10.) Insane
11.) Make Me Bad
12.) 4 U
13.) Blind
14.) It’s On
15.) Freak On A Leash
