Here Comes the Pain 25th Anniversary Tour
Noblesville, Indiana
Photos by Laura Fox (LLfoxphotos)
Review by Dave Fox
I was kind of surprised when I found out about a third of the people at our office were going to the Slipknot show at Ruoff Music Center Tuesday night - I had no idea I was working with so many Maggots.
I really didn't know what to expect. I only know a few Slipknot songs, but everyone who had seen them before said they put on a great show. Laura went on and on about their energy, showmanship and the sense of community among the fans. What nobody told me was that I wouldn't understand a single lyric they sang!
The beginning of the set was surreal. The house music stopped, the stage lights went down, and the mellow, trippy notes of Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver" began to play. The crowd immediately began to cheer wildly. As "Dream Weaver" continued, the fans calmed down almost as though they were listening to a lullaby. Then a recording of the super-creepy "742617000027" came on as the band members quietly took their places on the stage in the near darkness.
Suddenly, chaos erupted as the lights came up and Slipknot burst into the first song, their 1999 release, "Sic." The music was primal, angry, and violent, and the energy was off the charts.
(Fun fact: the first line of "Sic" is the same as the name of this tour, "Here Comes the Pain.")
The rest of Slipknot's 14-song set was a throwback to their early days. Early on, frontman Cory "MF" Taylor warned the crowd, "Nothing you will hear tonight was written after 1999." I noticed a lot of people in the audience who weren't even alive in 1999, which says a lot about the power and appeal of Slipknot's music, as well as the loyalty of their fan base.
If you want to see the whole Noblesville setlist, check out this cool
blog post on Slipknot's website:
Even though the production was relatively simple, without any pyros or LED screens, the entire show was a visual treat. That's because Slipknot WAS the show. The nine-piece band was drumming frantically, headbanging and dancing wildly, doing handstands, thrashing, posing menacingly, and running around insanely the entire time.
Frontman Corey "MF" Taylor alternated between singing, screaming, staring, and headbanging. His mask was sinister and gruesome, and his stage presence was powerful. There are many reasons Slipknot's fans are so devoted, and Taylor is probably the biggest one. Even though his eyes look like empty sockets in his mask, you can feel him staring at you when he looks out into the crowd, which is a lot. You can also feel his intensity all the way to the top of the hill.
Everyone told me the people-watching at Slipknot would be awesome, and they were right. Fans of all ages and walks of life were there. Some were ordianry dads like me, others were fully into the Maggot look, and there was everything else in between. The crowd at the barrier was thick. Laura talked to fans who had driven several hours to be there. Many had arrived at Ruoff in the early morning and waited patiently for hours to be near their favorite band. A brief rain shower made the fans on the lawn a little soggy, but didn't thin out the crowd even a little.
Things could have gotten ugly, with people being hot and tired, but fans really looked out for each other. Ruoff's security team provided cups of water to the people in the pit and made sure surfers and moshers - which there were a lot of - stayed safe.
Slipknot's set was just as intense at the end as it was in the beginning. The crowd went absolutely nuts for "Spit it Out," and again for the final song of the night, "Scissors," which Taylor announced hadn't been played live since 2000. It was a great way to end an incredible night of hardcore Slipknot mayhem.
The show at Ruoff on August 7 was only the first stop on Slipknot's 25th anniversary tour. For more Slipknot tour dates and information, click here:
Warning: the Slipknot video below contains images and language that may be inappropriate and/or offensive.
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