Review & photos by Rachel Jablonski
These days to get to the metal, you have to get through the metal. The metal detectors pat downs, and disgruntled security that is. Security is a big issue these days, substantially so. Getting into the building at the Slipknot show in Council Bluffs, IA though was like being a big red juicy tomato and having the life squeezed out of you as you’re turned into the shell of your existence – V8. It wasn’t the sold out crowd that was the problem. The die hard “maggots” were engrossed, completely excited to see the band in their home state. No, you’d think I was holding someone hostage or something when I approached the gate with my camera and photo pass. After the interrogation I sought to find a temporary position inside the venue in which to take pictures. Yeah, that wasn’t happening as you can see by the lovely photo display on this page. You see according to the “authorities” I had a fake photo pass even though I had picked it up from Will Call courtesy of Roadrunner Records. After giving up my business card, which was still not good enough proof I was media apparently, my only option was to take photos from far and away. As you can see it didn’t quite work so well, but stop complaining – you can see some drums. I apologize sincerely for my weak spread here, but luckily it was the only thing weak about the overall experience.
Slipknot – you hear the name and you prepare for some wild and crazy antics. The band definitely lived up to these expectations. But at the same time this show was quite different than the other two Slipknot shows I have been to. First up, for undisclosed reasons, Slipknot bassist Paul Gray was hospitalized and thus unable to play the show. Without a bassist the entire sound was not complete of course, but heavy guitar riffs and pounding drums sufficed in covering. Second, a Slipknot show is just not the same when you are in the stands. General Admission, you’d think that would mean GENERAL ADMISSION right? No, you had to have some special other thing to be on the floor. The experience was not quite the same. Having seen Slipknot on the second stage at Ozzfest twice and having been up close and personal, and frankly blown away by the performances, it was difficult to be so far removed. Regardless, when you see Slipknot you’re going to get some form of enjoyment.
The band followed a very tight set by Lamb of God, a tough act to follow, but ripped it up just the same. The majority of songs featured were from their latest release Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses, most of the set in fact. I’m talking we only heard “The Heretic Anthem” and “People = Shit” from Iowa and maybe one or two from the first album. I found this to be rather disappointing and would have appreciated a better mix from all albums, but beggars can’t be choosers. This is the Subliminal Verses tour after all. The crowd was energized, the pit action was amazing to watch from above, and when the singles from Subliminal Verses were played – holy horns!
The highlight of the show was… I hesitate to say for those who have not yet seen the tour but… We all know Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison is fun to watch, but just imagine watching him play while rotating on a completely vertical platform! I’m talking the guy was playing against gravity, face first, parallel to the floor as the platform moved and rotated. Despite the movement, what had to be nauseating for him, Joey continued to play a quite involved drum solo as the other members of the band were absent from the stage. It was amazing. The crowd was in awe and the cheers were deafening.
But then it quieted down after Joey left the stage. The energy had built so much that had the band jumped right into another song the place would have been entirely out of control and in more of a massive frenzy. But instead suddenly a song, unfortunately I can’t remember which at the moment, that the band had just played live a short time earlier in the set, began playing on the PA. I was confused, were they going to play it again? Was it going to be acoustic this time? I listened to it play for awhile finally figuring out we were at an intermission. A few minutes passed and I said to my friend Ginger, “What is going on?” Suddenly this dude turns around and says sharply, “Can you imagine how hard it is to play that fast for that long?” “Everybody else does it,” I replied. “How many shows have you been to?” he asked accusingly. “A million,” I said Napoleon Dynamite-ishly unintentionally. He turned back around and I laughed at my stupidity. HELLO! It’s not because they are playing long and fast, it’s because they are wearing MASKS for that long. The poor guys NEED a break and I don’t blame them. It must be dreadful to do a whole set in those things. I did not have a problem with the intermission, it was well deserved, but I did think it was in poor taste to play their own song on the loud speakers, particularly one that had already played.
Regardless, you’re going to want to see Slipknot on this tour. Even though it is not as intimate as you’re probably used to when you’ve seen them prior, the band has upped their stage show and it will be a worthwhile venture.