Korn frontman Jonathan Davis spoke of his earlier COVID-19 experience during a recent interview with Lipps Service With Scott Lipps. The musician told about the challenges of touring during the pandemic and stated that he had to be extra careful since there wasn’t a substitute for him while on the road.
The coronavirus pandemic affected the music industry deeply, where the live music industry nearly collapsed in 2020. Though it is slowly recovering now, countless tours, concerts, and festivals have been postponed or canceled in the last two years due to this unexpected situation.
Like many other groups, the Nu-metal band Korn was also affected by the pandemic conditions. Since Jonathan Davis tested positive for COVID in August 2021, the band postponed six shows. Due to scheduling conflicts, they also had to cancel two shows that were supposed to take place in New York.
A month later, James ‘Munky’ Shaffer also got infected with COVID-19. J.R. Bareis took the Korn guitarist’s place, and they did not have to cancel or postpone more concerts, but Shaffer was not the last member to get coronavirus. In October, Korn drummer Ray Luzier also tested positive, which led the band to deal with Aric Improta to replace him for three shows.
During a recent interview, Jonathan Davis told about the importance of his health for the persistence of the band’s live performances. He implied that since he is the band’s frontman, he cannot be replaced with another artist. The fully vaccinated musician also explained how he takes care of his health for the sake of his career. He stated that he even travels separately by his bus to prevent other cancelations from happening.
Davis said in a recent interview with Lipps Service With Scott Lipps, as transcribed by Blabbermouth:
“I’m going to live my life and get on with it. I definitely cater my life around not getting sick, though, because if I get sick, there’s no show. Covid or not, that’s been my life, my whole career. I’ve got my own bus. I stay away from people on purpose because if I get sick, there’s no one to fill in for me.
With the other guys, when they all got sick with COVID, we had people on standby; they flew out instantly, they could fill in, and we could do a show. But with me, I’ve gotta be careful. I always have been, but it’s now to the point where I’m like, a year ago, I was freaking out. I was, like, ‘I don’t wanna get this.’ And I go out on tour, and I get it. And there you go.”
Korn is touring through the United States with their special guests, Chevelle and Code Orange, at the moment. On May 25, 2022, they will take the stage in Amsterdam, and then, they will be performing in Europe until July 1. Inkcarceration Festival 2022 will be their last performance on this tour if everything goes right in the middle of a still-dangerous pandemic.
