On Saturday December 4th, 2013, we took a trip from Los Angeles to Ontario, CA to attend the Merry Meltdown hosted by X103.9. The line-up included Sick Puppies, Stone Temple Pilots, and the headliner, Korn. Read on as we celebrate one of the last metal concerts we will attend during remaining days of 2013!
We got there in time to see Sick Puppies opening up with their set at the small sports arena. The night had already started with a few smaller bands, but it seemed like they did an excellent job warming people up for the night because there was a lot of buzz going on during Sick Puppies’ set. The crowd seemed to know a majority of their music, which was a bit surprising because they aren’t that known, well, at least in the Los Angeles area. We had seen them perform a few months prior to this night, and are glad to say that they as constantly improving as they continue to play live shows. If you’re into a good ol’ fashioned rock show, these guys, and gal, should be on your must see list for 2014.
Following a high enjoyable and energetic set by the Sick Puppies, we were waiting for the Stone Temple Pilots to set up and begin playing. We ease-dropped on a few conversations and it seemed like there was a lot of buzz about seeing how Chester Bennington, originally from Linkin Park, could perform the Stone Temple Pilot classics. The lights finally dimmed, and the stage was set, and it was finally time to personally witness a Chester fronted Stone Temple Pilots. His performance didn’t seem promising at first, but soon, Chester’s vocals didn’t disappoint.
There wasn’t a moment where he was trying to mimic Scott Weiland, and that was very respectful because he made these songs his own. There are still some hardcore STP fans that won’t enjoy the fact that the vocals have changed dramatically, but at least they can still enjoy the fact that the band sound phenomenal, even with a new lead singer. Stone Temple Pilots may never be the same again, but maybe it’s time for a new, younger generation to fall in love with the lyrics and sounds that these guys having been bringing to the world for the past 20+ years.
Finally, we arrived to the moment that we’ve all been waiting for: Korn! For those of you who have been following us for the past few months, you know that we LOVE Korn. You know that we cannot get enough of their live shows and everything about them. From Fieldy’s threatening bass slaps to Jonathan Davis’ haunting vocals, these guys will forever be known as one of the greatest live bands to come out of the 90’s. We still find ourselves coming back for more each time they are within driving distance, to see them put on another timeless show. Now, we’ve seen them several times in the past few months, and our only complaint that we can tell you is that they need to make the setlist fresh for those of us who continue to go to their shows. We’d like to see some old school classics like A.D.I.D.A.S., Trash, Thoughtless… you get the point. We can’t wait to see them play more of the new album in the upcoming tours, so let’s hope the bonus song Tell Me What You Want is performed in the New Year. Korn is an addiction, so if you haven’t seen them yet, be prepared to go into “Korn concert withdrawals” once you see these nü-metal legends.
We want to thank X103.9 being such a great radio station and putting on such a random, but fun, line-up. Also, thank you to all the bands for giving us a great show to attend before the holidays come up; this is what a lot of us needed to help us rock out during a slow concert season.
Review by: Alex Lucero
Korn
Stone Temple Pilots
Sick Puppies
