It was over 13 years ago that I was indoctrinated into the Slipknot family when I first saw them perform in 2009 on the All Hope Is Gone tour. They preached the notion that we weren’t just fans, but the lifeblood of the group; one giant family of “crazy motherf**kers”, as Corey Taylor affectionately calls us. While I’ve always been a fan, I’ve certainly had my highs and lows with this band, but attending the Knotfest Roadshow in Toronto, ON made it feel like I hadn’t missed a beat all these years. Corey Taylor sounded fierce, the band was on point as always, and they made us feel like family yet again. And this band takes care of their family, so much so that they cut off their grand finale “Surfacing” to ensure a downed fan in the pit was safe and escorted out before starting it from the top. We all got treated to hearing their incredible closer x1.5, and that fan got to share a moment of humanity with a beloved artist. It was the kind of moment that ensures his sentiment did not fall flat when he professed to the crowd throughout the night that, “No other music bonds people like this kind of music”, and that “It does not matter what color your skin is, who you love, what language you speak, or what you believe - this is a family”.

From opening with the chaotic anthem that is “Disasterpiece”, to playing the emotionally jarring ballad “Snuff”, to closing out the main set with the crowd favorite “Spit It Out” and jumping back into the mayhem with “People = Shit” in the encore, Slipknot brought out all the stops for every fan to enjoy on this setlist. After ripping through the first few tracks with nonstop ferocious screams, Taylor confessed to the crowd that his voice was not in prime shape that night, but he promised us we would still get his 100% and he absolutely delivered. It was impressive that he did not shy away from belting the soaring choruses of hits like “The Devil in I” and “Duality”, and especially that they kept “Snuff” in the set, which was extra special since they brought it back on this tour for the first time since a few one-off performances in 2012! It was also great to hear their latest single from last year, “The Chapeltown Rag”, which sounded insanely heavy in a way that does not come through in the recording. Aside from missing out on a few set staples from earlier in the tour, such as “Custer”, “(sic)”, and “Solway Firth” - two being classics, and the other being one of the band’s best in recent years - Slipknot put on an otherwise perfect performance.

I’ve been to several shows at the outdoor Budweiser Stage venue in Toronto, but never have I seen it as packed as it was for Slipknot or heard the performers get so loud that you’d swear you could hear it across the city at Sneaky Dees. I have also never seen a single other show in my life where almost the entire crowd was wearing merch of the show’s headlining band, as if the Slipknot logo was an everyday fashion brand. It was clear that there were plenty of fans who were new to the family (including our day job colleague who was dragged along and surprised at how much fun she had), as well as a huge number of loyal constituents who had been in the pit the first time this band came to their town over 20 years ago. With those two decades under their belt, Slipknot’s ability to command a crowd is a testament to their long-standing reign over the genre, as well as the pure love and affection their fans have for them, with Taylor inciting an equally enthusiastic cheer from the crowd both by asking who had seen Slipknot before, and who was a first timer.

While fans certainly come to the band for their ability to channel pure rage and frustration into some of the most crowd pleasing metal anthems of the past two decades, they stay for their unmatched live performances. With 9 members on stage at any one time, there’s always something to fixate your eyes on, let alone the visuals and pyrotechnics that take the performance over the top. It was roughly 13 years between my first Slipknot show and my second, but it’s safe to say that it won’t be long until I get a ticket for my third. With Taylor promising that new music is coming “soon, soon, soon!”, we are hopeful that we will get that opportunity in the near future. As for this show, we would like to give a massive shout out to Live Nation for hooking us up with tickets and we look forward to covering more amazing shows here at Scene Daddy!