Twenty-five years! To be twenty-five years on and a debut album to have this much of an impact still is a real feat and it’s safe to say metal icons Slipknot show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. To say tonight’s show has been hotly anticipated is perhaps the understatement of the year, there is a buzz in the air as crowds shuffle into the brand-new Co-Op Live Arena. Holding claim as the UK’s largest indoor arena the swanky new venue is about to get a real test run as generations of metalheads descend for a night of raucous celebration.
Glasgow’s own Bleed From Within have been handed the daunting task of warming up this die-hard crowd, but in all honesty there is no band better suited. Thanks in part to the group’s extensive festival experience over the last few years they are no strangers at this point to the larger scale crowds. And this shows as things get off to an explosive start with the band launching head first into the first of their two recent singles “Hands of Sin” as vocalist Scott Kennedy effortlessly whips up the crowd from the stage risers. Jumping back and forth between their two releases the band do a hell of a job breaking in the Manchester crowd with pits a constant feature throughout the set.
Bleed From Within’s impressively meaty sound is perfectly crafted for big open rooms like this one, the combination of soaring melodies and massive breakdowns fill the space beautifully.
The most recent single “In Place of Your Halo” proceeds a fiery outro in the form of “The End of All We Know.” The entire set is a textbook example of how to win over a crowd and we can’t wait to catch the band again on their next go-around. Once the dust settles on the opening set the sense of anticipation hangs in the air as the sounds of rising synths herald the arrival of legends.
But first, a quick respite as the dulcet tones of Gary Wright informs us about his adventures on the dreamweaver train. The choice to preface the coming chaos with such a gentle, ethereal track is either a questionable or utterly genius move from the Slipknot camp, acting as a sharp contrast for what is about to be unleashed. It certainly garnered a few comical groans from the front row, but finally, as the sinister “742617000027” rings out it’s as if a tonal switch has been flipped with the waiting masses instantly parting as pits open in anticipation. The moment 20,000 people in unison scream “HERE COMES THE PAIN!” There’s no going back as the following triple volley of “(sic),” “Eyeless” and “Wait and Bleed” unleashes an eruption of energy that only Slipknot can truly deliver. The group’s seasoned showmanship, honed over decades of constant touring paired with the down-and-dirty, raw emotional energy of the early material is a devastating combination.
After that whip-crack of an opening, frontman Corey Taylor uses the opportunity to address the sea of “maggots” before him. Taking a moment to address alike the hardened Slipknot fans as well as those for whom tonight is their first time, to “welcome [them] back to the fucking begining” and to proclaim what has become the mantra for this tour, the fact that ‘tonight you will not hear one song written after 1999’. The truest celebration of a landmark album, and although there may be a few “Duality” kids in the crowd left grumbling, it’s undeniable that history is being experienced tonight with this being the only chance many in the audience will get to see some of these songs played live.
The following 50 minutes, in keeping with the opening, is a further descent into chaos as we delve headlong into a slightly rearranged version of the album proper. Despite being lesser known in comparison to the big hitters the crowd barely lets up as some of the deeper cuts see the light of day. The energy being whipped up from the audience was feeding straight back on stage as the band are a constant vision of movement throughout the set. It feels like no time at all before the vast space is reduced to a sweaty mess as Taylor stands proud and bids goodnight to a screaming crowd.
Now you needn’t be overly familiar with the debut album to notice a couple glaring absences in the setlist so far. That’s right, showmen that they are, Slipknot have left some of the best for last. A staple of the Slipknot encore “Spit It Out” should come as no surprise, but paired with the unhinged anthem that is “Surfacing” and you’ve got yourself an encore for the ages. But it’s the eerie scrapings of metallic springs courtesy of newest member Michael “Tortilla Man” Pfaff that drags an exhausted crowd into one final go-around for the night. The deliciously chaotic “Scissors” is an inspired choice for a show closer as all the energy expelled over the evening is seemingly driven into its deranged spiraling crescendo.
PODCAST: When Will Slipknot Release “Look Outside Your Window?”
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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY BILL MAWDSLEY
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