Korn Guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welch Calls Warped Tour ‘Lame’

Vans Warped Tour is synonymous with punk rock, emo, hardcore, and other generally rowdy styles of rock music. Kicking off in 1995 with bands like Deftones, L7, Sublime, and No Doubt on the tour’s first iteration, Warped Tour has steadily kept up an edgy image. In 1997 it officially became sponsored by Vans, though still retained many notably hardcore bands within its lineup. Over the years Warped Tour has played host to such bands as Gwar, Rancid, NoFx, and Esham The Unholy.

Mikey Carvajal recently destroyed a drum set during a performance on the tour, according to Loudwire, which resulted in the band being ousted for the remaining dates. Carvajal was quick to mention he had no hard feelings toward the tour or its promoters.

Less cordial, Korn Guitarist Brian “Head” Welch spoke up via Facebook recently to express his annoyance at the decision to drop Islander from Warped Tour, calling the decision “lame.”

Korn, particularly in their earlier days, has been known for having unruly shows, including singer Jonathan Davis being a notably active performer when onstage. The band still regularly encourages audiences to show their enthusiasm by moshing and slam dancing. Davis has even been known to taunt audiences in the past when he perceived them as being unenthusiastic.

Welch’s Facebook post seems to express the band hasn’t particularly softened in the last 24 years, since their self-titled album debut.

https://www.facebook.com/327723191973/posts/10156573295371974/

Islander has performed a number of shows with Korn in the past.

Korn recently announced a tour for the 25th anniversary of their mainstream breakthrough album Follow The Leader, which featured some of the band’s biggest hits, including “Got The Life” and “Freak On A Leash.” Follow The Leader sold more than 250,000 copies in its first week of sales but went on to sell more than 14 million albums worldwide. The album featured guest appearances by Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, Cheech Marin, Ice Cube, and Slimkid3, also known as Tre Hardson from Pharcyde.

Brian Welch is a Christian who once quit Korn in pursuit of a life devoted to religion. He has since rejoined the band, having recorded two albums with Korn since 2013, and he travels the country from time to time as a motivational speaker in an effort to reach disaffected youth.

Islander still has upcoming tour dates, according to their official website. The band is slated to perform in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Iowa City, Iowa; and Indianapolis, Indiana, next month. Islander hails from Greenville, South Carolina, and has released two full-length albums.