It was 25 year ago today (11/15/99), nu metal kings, Korn, debuted their soon-to-be released album Issues in its entirety at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York.
The Apollo has been the center of Black culture, musically, for 90 years. But its stage has also graced all sorts of musical styles including bands like U2, Bob Dylan and Christina Aguilera.
When Korn chose to rock the joint a day before Issues would be released, they knew they were doing it in a venue not known for modern hard rock. They knew they didn't quite fit in. And that's precisely why they chose it. One might say they were freaks on a leash.
The late '90s were good times for Korn.
In '98 their third studio album, Follow the Leader, shot to #1 and went 5x platinum.
They headlined their 28-date Family Matters Festival in '98 which included Ice Cube, Limp Bizkit, and Rammstein. Then the next year they appeared in select stops of the 30-date fest that was headlined by Limp Bizkit but also featured Primus, The Crystal Method, and Mobb Deep.
Then, of course on 7/23/99 they performed at the notorious Woodstock '99 the night before it all went to hell.
A few days before that crazy gig, Korn performed a special show at The Whisky on the Sunset Strip of Los Angeles as a bit of a warm up for Woodstock.
It was at that Whisky show that Korn live debuted two tunes that would go on Issues. One they'd hardly ever play again ("Beg for Me") and the other would be their third most-performed songs of their catalogue, "Falling Away From Me."
Those two tunes were the only songs that didn't get their live debut four months later on 125th St. in Harlem when Korn unveiled the LP that would eventually sell 13 million copies.
In attendance that night at The Apollo were Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst (who directed the "Falling Away From Me" video), Sean "Puffy" Combs, Busta Rhymes, MTV VJ Matt Pinfield, and comedian Chris Rock who had filmed his "Bigger and Blacker" HBO special there earlier that spring.
The band rehearsed for two weeks in NYC before the gig. When it was showtime, the pipe & drum players of the NYPD marched on stage followed by singer Jonathan Davis, also wearing a kilt, live debuted "Dead."
"Dead" would be one of a half dozen tunes that night which Korn would premiere and then never perform live again.
Did they have issues with them?
Technically the band does play a pre-recorded track of "Dead" before many of their shows, but they've never brought the bagpipes and drums out on stage, which is a shame.
"The Apollo show was cool," original drummer David Silveria told Deuce after the performance. "Just being inside The Apollo --white people, inside the Apollo."
Several of the other members admitted they were nervous because the show was being simulcasted live on 90 radio stations.
In the 1990s it was rare for a band to play their entire new album to an audience.
Legendary groups like The Who, Pink Floyd, and R.E.M. had special shows where they performed Quadrophenia, The Dark Side of the Moon, and Murmur, respectively, but years after they had been released.
Last month Korn celebrated their 30th anniversary with a show at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
The bill included five other bands including Evanescence. Amy Lee joined Korn on the final tune of the encore for "Freak on a Leash."
The band gets November off and then heads to Australia in December for four gigs to conclude 2024. Next summer they only have a few festivals lined up including Download which they will co-headline with Green Day and Sleep Token. Get your tickets on the Korn website.
