At the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, I met with affirmation of my fandom. Tonight Korn played the stadium venue in OC and showed all why they are on top and reminded me that nobody, I mean nobody does what they do quite the way they do it.

Staind took the position of the warm up-band, and successfully did just that. They managed to prime the crowd and please with just enough power and passion to get the evening started off right. This is the second time I have seen them live at this venue and while I watched only in anticipation of further greatness to come, I still found myself drawn in by Aaron's magnetism. From the looks of it, I was not the only one. Staind played tight and well with a little aid from good staging, props and smoke, and audience participation. Since I am not especially a fan of this band I have to confess the highlight of me was their first radio single "Mudshuvel," which was also their final song.

Between Staind and Korn, Spike and Mike's "Sick and Twisted" animation festival played intermission/host/baby-sitter to the crowd. It was entertaining; enough to pacify the masses until Korn could get set up. Sometimes you just can't miss with a bit of bathroom humor. The Grandpa cartoon was just the best! "Here's your grandpa in a gay bathhouse…Your grandpa coughing up the cat…your grandpa working the fast-food window while jacking off." Once that was over they tried to placate the fans with some Cypress Hill.

The curtain finally parted to the opening of "Dead" from the Issues CD and reveal the a large round stage set up with a few dozen lucky fans surrounding either side of the circle. Korn, the kings of their domain, appeared on the stage complete presence in full effect. Jon looking like a dark angel demi-God in his long fluid black robe. The boys went directly into "Falling Away From Me," David, Munky, Fieldy, Head, and Jon set off into a set that was intensly flawless. The boys played songs from all four albums, pleasing both their old fans and new as well. The set list included "Make Me Bad," "It's On," "Dead Bodies Everywhere," "Freak On a Leash," and "A.D.I.D.A.S. "

Korn played their long set with a pause in the middle for a little smoke break, where the camera followed the band back stage for a little visit with some of the band's famous friends. Fieldy chilled backstage with members of Orgy and others while smoking out. Boys backstage asked for and got the obligatory, and gratuitous rock & roll institution, the "tit flash" from girls in the crowd (which was shown on the three large screens).

After the behind the scenes peek, Jon appeared (now disrobed, and in one of his signature Puma Kilt combos in a dark red) on the stage alone with bagpipes in arms, and went into "Shoots and Ladder" (one of my personal favorites). He took center stage and was raised up on a platform during his solo, the rest of the guys took their places in time to join him. one of my favorite moments of the evening was hearing "Trash," Jon's voice sounds so incredibly sexy in that song.

Korn gave me everything I was looking for in their show. Munky and Head, playing wicked and warped riffs on their down tuned 7-string guitars, proving, while others try to make this a club they are still masters of the 7-string in the rock world ! Fieldy, slapping the hell out of the bass, played bass-lines that stood out and demanded attention, his sound never managed to accidentally get buried beneath the guitars. The five played the range of what we have all come to love about them, songs ranging from freaky and sullen, to the fast paced rapid fire and hyperactive. I was reminded that while you could cite bands that may have borrowed from the Korn sound, they are still king and no one is quite like them. By the end of the show all expectations were meet tenfold. The band left the stage and I was left wondering what they could possibly pull out for an encore (having already heard every Korn song, I'd personally ask for, save one). The guys came back and slammed us with "Blind." A fitting end to a great show since, it used to be Korn's opening song. In honor of Spike and Mike, and in the immortal words of Eric Cartman, the show was "SWWEEEEETTT!"