Sick New World Festival Rocked by System of a Down, Deftones, Korn, and More: Recap and Photos

Jonali McFadden

May 15, 2023 at 5:12 PM·8 min read

The post Sick New World Festival Rocked by System of a Down, Deftones, Korn, and More: Recap and Photos appeared first on Consequence.

This Mother’s Day weekend featured the mother of all nu-metal gatherings. Tens of thousands of fans came together under the 90-plus degree desert sun to witness System of a Down (performing their only scheduled show of 2023), Korn, Deftones, Incubus, and dozens more at the inaugural Sick New World festival on Saturday (May 13th) in Las Vegas.

Early birds stormed the gates at 11 a.m. to start their day indulging in options like Korn Koffee or a cold Deftones Phantom Bride IPA. Fans flocked in the heat to and from the Spiral, Sick, Purple, and Green stages, being led by demon motifs. Nightmare Before Christmas-chic goth and a blend of Spencer’s Gifts and Hot Topic-inspired attire was the fashion of the festival. Eclectic tattoos, colorful hair, Happy Bunny tee shirts, and piercings galore dawned on the bodies of the diverse fans, young and old.

Alien Ant Farm wished fans both a “Happy Birthday” and “Happy Mother’s Day” as they performed electric renditions of their songs “Courage,” “Movies,” “Wish,” and their signature cover of “Smooth Criminal” featuring CeCe Peniston’s ’90s dance classic “Finally” as an outro.

Despite intermittent and apparent sound issues, Lacey Sturm’s joyful return to Flyleaf after 10 years away from the band made for a highly anticipated set of the day. Sturm’s screaming high notes and stinging vibrato were hit or miss in cutting through what sounded like blown-out speakers, as the band performed “Again,” “Fully Alive,” “I’m So Sick,” and “All Around Me.” Next up, P.O.D sounded larger than life playing their hits “Boom,” “Youth of the Nation,” and “Alive” featuring a surprise guest vocal appearance by Tatiana Schmayluk of Jinjer (whom they toured with just last year).

As the scorching mid-day sun began to set in, fans may have been starting to feel “so sick” from the heat, many participating in an exodus from the main stages to the shady tents for a reprieve.

From there, Papa Roach commanded attention with a surprise appearance by Hollywood Undead during their song “Swerve” and played all the crowd favorites including “Getting Away With Murder,” “Scars,” and “Last Resort.” Turnstile immediately followed with their inspiring mix of hardcore punk (“Real Thing” and “Holiday”) and melodic groove (“Don’t Play” and “Fly Again.”) After their Coachella festival debut last year, it’s easy to see why Turnstile are one of the most exciting live acts around today.

Speaking of up-and-comers, Spiritbox absolutely devoured onlookers at the Sick Stage with their djenty metalcore finesse. The unrelenting swagger in their performance made it a must-see from the festival, performing “Circle With Me” and “Holy Roller” back to back to close out their set. Over on the Purple Stage, Evanescence dominated their show with shimmering goth ballads “Going Under” and “Call Me When You’re Sober,” along with the anthemic “Bring Me to Life” featuring an appearance by Sonny Sandoval from P.O.D.

While nu-metal may have been the dominant genre at Sick New World, industrial also shared the spotlight with some of its all-time greatest acts. Ministry, Skinny Puppy, and KMFDM represented for the heyday of industrial music, calling to mind the Wax Trax days of yesteryear.

Goth-rock also had its day in the sun (and in the night, where it feels more at home), with The Sisters of Mercy (on their first US tour in nearly 15 years), The 69 Eyes, and Ville Valo bringing welcome darkness to the festivities. The day also featured genre-defying acts like Mr. Bungle, Melvins, Death Grips, Body Count (who premiered their song “Merciless”), and 100 gecs, among others.

The heat and the riffs raged on as more and more festival-goers joined for the evening headlining sets at the main stage.

Incubus took the stage at 6 p.m. premiering their fill-in bass player, Nicole Row, as Ben Kenney continues to recover from a brain tumor surgery. Their set featured fan favorites “Nice to Know You,” “Sick Sad Little World,” “The Warmth,” “Pardon Me,” and psyched-out covers of “Come Together” by the Beatles and “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd (played after their own like-named song “Wish You Were Here”). While they played no songs from their breakout nu metal album S.C.I.E.N.C.E., newer songs that showcase their spacey alternative-rock panache (“Glitterbomb, “Karma Come Back,” “Absolution Calling”) excited diehard Incubus fans.

Deftones followed, dropping straight into “Genesis.” With the sun finally going down, more and more fans packed in to a near-dangerous capacity, causing singer Chino Moreno to issue a warning to fans to step back and create a safe environment for everyone to enjoy. Detuned and dramatic anthems “My Own Summer (Shove It),” “Digital Bath,” and “Change (In the House of Flies)” had the crowd headbanging, swooning, and singing along at the same time.

Korn played next. As godfathers of nu-metal, the influence they had on the other bands on the bill and within the scene as a whole was evident throughout the day. The crowd’s energy reached a complete frenzy as Jonathan Davis walked onstage sporting his classic Adidas tracksuit embellished with dazzling purple sparkle accents. A cage feature would rise and fall for certain tracks as they blazed through their catalog of super heavy groove-centric hits: “Here to Stay,” “Blind,” “Got the Life,” and “Freak on a Leash.” They also made room for some epic covers including “We Will Rock You” by Queen at the end of “Coming Undone,” and “One” by Metallica during “Shoots and Ladders.”

System of a Down’s 10 Best Songs

Highly anticipated headliners System of a Down absolutely annihilated the end of the night with a jam-packed 31-song set. Fans sang along to “B.Y.O.B,” “Chop Suey!,” “Toxicity,” and “Aerials,” and pogoed to rare performances of “Soil,” “Darts,” “Peephole,” “Forest,” and “DAM.” Guitarist-singer Daron Malakian kindly asked the audience to “please circle pit,” as lead singer Serj Tankin responded, “They’re tired.” It was true, the folks who had been there all day were exhausted but the energy from SOAD was intoxicating. Circle pits opened throughout the crowd. These fans came to the party to have a real good time.

As nu-metal experiences a renaissance, a new generation of fans had the opportunity to go back in time with legends of the genre. Despite the sweltering heat, those who survived the mosh pits and mayhem of the Sick New World festival became part of a truly unforgettable experience.

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