Korn Guitarist and Warped Tour Founder Trade Twitter Quips over Islander Getting Dropped from Warped Tour
You might remember that last week, we reported on Islander getting booted from Warped Tour after one show because their frontman damaged a floor tom by throwing himself into it. The general consensus around that Mansion was that hey, drums can be replaced, that’s rock and roll, Warped Tour played this wrong.
Apparently Korn guitarist and Islander tour mate Brian “Head” Welch agrees with us. Welch commented on the incident via Twitter, writing the following:
Band gets kicked off Alt/punk/hard core tour for being too wild? Not even a warning? That's what Vans Warped Tour has been all about for decades! L A M E https://t.co/Uta0qfCY4s
— Brian Welch (@brianheadwelch) July 4, 2018
That didn’t sit right with Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman (also the co-founder of Mayhem Fest who once said that metal was “selfish, bald, and old”), who responded to Welch’s claims with the following:
I would ask Brian "Head" Welch, if an opening act trashed Korn's gear on stage, how long they would be kept on the tour? Just wondering. https://t.co/2BcJtI7x1v
— KevinLyman (@KevinLyman) July 6, 2018
Welch then responded in a reasonable and mature fashion… to a somewhat disappointing degree:
No offense, wasn’t blaming you… didn’t even know if Warped kicked em off, or the stage sponsor.
I see your point, but still respectfully disagree w/outcome.@VansWarpedTour bands are chaotic, there should have been back up gear ????????LOL
Thanks for all the years!
???????????? https://t.co/nq1RocFFmi— Brian Welch (@brianheadwelch) July 8, 2018
I get why Welch responded this way (not the emojis, but the tone). If there’s a chance you’re going to go into an ill-advised rant or pissing match on social media (and if you’re a member of Korn, I’m sure that chance exists at all times), then it’s always better to just diffuse things as quickly as possible.
THAT SAID, I think Welch could’ve gone a little harder. It’s ridiculous that Warped Tour didn’t have a back-up tom, and kicking a young band off the tour after a single screw-up is about as punk rock as joining the local country club. Basically, Warped Tour announced to the world that it in no way embodies the message it sells. You’re allowed to tell someone, “Nah, fuck you” for that.
ANYway, glad it didn’t come down to fisticuffs. If you want to see Korn on their upcoming tour to give ol’ Head a thumbs-up, you can do so at one of the dates listed here.
[via The PRP]
