As years pass by there is one thing you can count on and that is Slipknot putting in a hell of a live show! This year’s Knotfest Roadshow tour brought Crown The Empire, and Ice Nine Kills, bands that have been putting in the work to cement themselves firmly in the music industry over the years.
Luckily this tour date couldn’t be better in the Texas heat as we just had a small cool front blow in so instead of the blistering triple digits, we had a cool upper 80s. Making the six-hour drive (three hours each way) gave me time to reflect on the years that Slipknot’s music has been in my life…since 1999 with their debut album- which changed the music scene and continues to inspire thousands of people to the present day. This week would also mark the release of their eighth album The End, So Far on September 30th, via Roadrunner Records (read the Ghost Cult Review here).
Tonight’s show would be at Germania Insurance Amphitheater which is also host to Circuit of the Americas, an Austin based motor racing track. Tonight marked the last concert of the season for the venue for 2022.
First up to the stage was Dallas based Crown The Empire who took charge of the crowd and brought catchy hooks and rhythm based metalcore to the fans. I’ve seen them before, but on a small stage, and now with plenty of space they took full advantage to bounce back and forth feeding off the fan’s energy. Their delivery was solid and fans could be seen singing along and flinging their hair in the not so hot Texas heat.
Next up was Boston based Ice Nine Kills! I remember seeing them a few years back and they have grown quite a bit since. Their performance is now laced with horror themes in which they incorporated classic movie references from Texas Chainsaw Massacre and American Psycho with Spencer Charnas excellently portraying the on screen characters. With the music blasting away, fans were treated to a butcher knife wielding Charnas as he dismembered an arm and axe chopped off a head which he so eagerly licked the gruesome ends. All the while fans shouted with glee and jumped for joy as the music continued on.
As the sun sank, the time finally came for the legendary Slipknot! Their twenty-foot banner hung from the rafters as the word Slipknot illuminated the night. And then the intro to “Diasterpiece” began and everyone started to lose their minds as they could finally let go of all pent up emotions and soon leave it all on the Germania venue floor. And with a bang everything erupted and the flood of music and emotions came pouring forth as bodies began to be offered up to the metal gods as sacrifice. Watching them play live is an all encompassing experience as everyone was assaulted visually, sonically and emotionally. There is no way to ever show up to one of their concerts and not move your body in full acceptance.
Each member of the band are professionals of the highest caliber, their sound razor sharp that it cuts deep into your soul leaving permanent memories that fans carry with them forever. From the stage setting, the excellent sound quality, the pyro filling the sky and the voices of thousands singing along, the band has built a legacy that has stood the test of time.
Their second song of the night was “Wait And Bleed” off of their debut album which first brought out the pyrotechnics for the night and flamed in people’s hearts. Even back then in 1999 when I first heard this song I knew I was hearing something that was going to change the course of music.
Next up was “All Out Life” which continued the steady primal rhythm of the night as bodies continued to be pushed towards the stage and voices flooded the air as word for word was being sung back in devotion to their favorite band.
Looking out across the sea of thousands of people, at that moment we were all one family as Corey Taylor pointed out during a song break. Those words ring more than true. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, when you’re at a metal show, we are all family. Friends are easily made and memories are cemented for life as everyone at Germania Insurance Amphitheater was witnessing one of the greatest live bands today. Even though their new album may be called The End, So Far, it is a new chapter for the band that has dominated the airwaves for more than two decades and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
So if you get the chance, don’t miss out on watching Slipknot live as it will be a life altering experience!
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Setlist:
Disasterpiece
Wait & Bleed
All Out Life
Sulfur
Before I Forget
Dying Song
Dead Memories
Unsainted
Heretic
Psychosocial
Duality
Custer
Spit It Out
People = Shit
Surfacing
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY RENE BOTELLO