Korn Harvesters

Korn. Photo courtesy of Mooz Entertainment.

Note: this event has been cancelled.
By now, you’ve probably caught the TV promos, seen a few billboards, chanced upon a couple of newspaper ads or even heard a spot on the radio announcing that American nu-metal band Korn will be performing at the MMRDA Grounds this Friday, September 7, as part of a three-city tour of the country. The tour is being organised by Mooz Entertainment, a new live entertainment company that’s also bringing the current avatar of Guns N’ Roses for a series of gigs in India in December (former GNR guitarist Slash’s reported visit next year, however, is still unconfirmed). We chatted with the company’s vice president Dilip Ramachandran and their Mumbai-based A&R guy Bobby Duggal, who are the respective former drummers of veteran Indian rock bands Parikrama and Indus Creed, about why they chose to launch with a concert by a nu-metal band, how they’ve priced tickets, and whether they’re scared Axl Rose might be a no-show.

In a retro loving country like ours, Guns N’ Roses seem like an obvious choice for a tour of India. What made you choose Korn for your inaugural series of events here?
Dilip Ramachandran: We feel India should be part of the regular touring calendar of the world. Korn is in the middle of a world tour. It made sense to bring a contemporary rock band promoting a current album. Metal and rock have a sizeable fan base here; they have 90 lakh Facebook fans, out of which 1.5 lakh are in India.
Bobby Duggal: They’re one of the most interesting in the metal space. They’ve got so many influences from Led Zeppelin to this new crossover sound, which is metal meets dubstep.

Tickets start at around Rs2,500. Isn’t that a bit steep for the average rock and metal fan?
DR: Tickets for Metallica started at Rs2,750. We’re pulling out all the stops are far as the production values are concerned. Our production managers are people who worked with The Police.
BD: They’re going to do a full hour-and-a half-plus set with an encore, spread over two or three sets. They will play everything from “Blind” to “Narcissistic Cannibal” from [their latest album] The Path of Totality.

A lot of big-ticket acts skip Mumbai, but thankfully, both Korn and Guns N’ Roses will perform here. What’s the most challenging part of organising a concert in our city?
DR: There’s nothing specific; it’s the same issues we face in any other city.
BD: In Bombay, the taxes are slightly higher so while tickets start at Rs2,200 in Bangalore, they cost more here.

While it’s great you’re getting Guns N’ Roses, aren’t you worried that Axl Rose may decide not to show up on stage?
DR: We do realise that he is a temperamental rock star but we know that he’s really looking forward to playing here. We highly doubt anything of that sort will happen.

You’ve said in interviews that theatre, opera, stand-up comedy and mixed martial arts events are in the pipeline. What’s next on the agenda?
DR: We have many upcoming events that are works-in-progress, in the areas of music, sports, and stand-up. Our next major event [after Guns N' Roses] will be in 2013, in the live musical theatre space, something along the lines of [a] Broadway [show].

Goddess Gagged will open for Korn in Mumbai. Tickets are available from Bookmyshow.com.

Korn at MMRDA Grounds

LocationBandra Kurla Complex
Bandra (East)

Relevant DatesFriday, September 7

HoursGates open at 4pm

Ticketing & Price InfoRs2,438 and Rs3,688