Jonathan Davis is the epitome of the heavy metal menace.

The former mortician’s assistant, steps out onto the stage at Centennial Garden. Dressed in a long sleeve black shirt, and an ankle-length kilt with a large silver cross on the front, the king overlooks his subjects: a sea of sweaty, awestruck people, who immediately recognize the guitar intro to Korn’s “Here to Stay.”

Gripping the woman-shaped microphone stand, Davis starts banging his head, and stomping on the ground. Without speaking a word, the audience as if commanded starts to do likewise.

Davis lets the music take him as he lets out his nasal-roar style of singing to the people of Centennial Garden

Davis, Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu, James “Munky” Shaffer, Brian “Head” Welch and David Silvera presented an intense concert to their hometown Tuesday.

The world famous Bakersfield native forerunners of the “nu metal” genre, have been traveling the country on their “Pop Sux!” tour with fellow angst-rock bands Disturbed and TRUSTcompany.

Korn roared their way onto the stage, and played songs from throughout their career, which spans almost a decade.

In past performances, Korn has had elaborate shows featuring pyrotechnics, and a giant balloon shaped like a rag doll that is featured on the album “Issues.” This time Korn opted for not trying to top the others, and scaled it down a bit. The show depended more on Korn’s fierce performance than on anything else. There were simply some of Korn’s videos and lighting in the way of extra features.

They opened with “Here to Stay,” the first single from their latest album “Untouchables,” then played some of their older hits, the often misunderstood “Twist,” “A.D.I.D.A.S.,” the confessional “Trash,” “Dead Bodies Everywhere,” and the drug-themed “Blind,” which featured a display of strobe lights.

Throughout the concert, fans volleyed inflated condoms across the arena.

“It’s good to be back in this (expletive) town!” said Davis to the audience, who responded with enthusiastic cheers.

Korn then played “Falling Away From Me,” a song about domestic abuse. They then played “No One’s There,” “Clown” and “Make Me Bad,”

Halfway through this song, the band started to play part of Metallica’s “One.” The audience sang along with Davis as he sang the song’s climax, which he concluded in his own way.

“(Expletive) all that bullshit!” Davis roared.

Korn went through the rest of the show playing such songs as “Freak on a Leash,” “Alone I Break,” “Thoughtless” and “Somebody, Someone.”

After that, Korn went backstage. After a few minutes, Davis emerged with a new kilt, and his bagpipes. The audience knew this to be the introduction to “Shoots and Ladders.” After this song, Korn ended with “Got the Life.” As the song neared the end, cannons shot smoke and confetti into the air.

TRUSTcompany opened at 7:30 p.m. Fairly new to the nu metal mainstream, they presented their emotional ballads, playing about six songs, and closing with their radio hit, “Another Side of Me.”

Disturbed played second. After opening with “Voices,” the band played some songs from their new album “Believe.” Dressed in a tight black shirt and leather pants, David Draiman, the band’s frontman, took some time to remind the audience of what “Pop Sux!” means to the bands.

“We could choose to live a lie, or choose to seek out and find the truth,” he said to the audience.

He then explained there was not one ounce of truth in pop music. After receiving a roar of agreement from the crowd, Disturbed continued, and closed with the songs, “Down With the Sickness,” and “Stupified.”

But the almost emo metal of TRUSTcompany, and the rhythmic pelvic thrusting of Disturbed’s leather-clad frontman were no match for what was ahead.

The show ended, and the audience left, with a new sense of pride in being from the same city as Korn.