Hey everyone! Cory Hodges here; Live shows are back in full swing and I just want to say that I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to be inside these atmospheres once again. It’s been a wild and quick start to 2022 (almost too quick) and it seems as if we are slowly returning to normalcy with tour announcements popping up left and right. Today’s experience is something I want take you along with me to a Festival that may need no introduction these days, which is headlined by one of the faces of heavy metal today. KNOTFEST. The Slipknot tour that we’ve been looking forward to attending again after 2 years of silence. Alongside heavy hitters In This Moment and rising metalcore outfit Wage War, this was another tour marked off the bucket list for me. Held in Durant, Oklahoma, inside the Choctaw Grand Theater and Casino, there couldn’t have been a more perfect venue for this Saturday evening in March. Me and my partner Sonny Reza left early in the day from Dallas to arrive at this sell-out show. The weather was perfect, the crowd was perfect, and having Slipknot close out the day was more than I could have asked for. Huge huge huge shout out to our friends over at Cosa Nostra for hooking us up for the coverage we were able to provide for you. Without them, we would not be here today. Now, lets get to the show!
Wage War:
Before tonight, I was a mediocre fan of Florida-based band Wage War…apparently I never gave these guys my full attention until I saw what unfolded in front of me. Let me just say, they have this song called “Death Roll”, and I was in awe as soon as they unleashed that vicious tune on stage. If there was any band to start off Knotfest on a high note, it was them. Keep in mind, it was Jinjer who was supposed to be in this slot as the opener of Knotfest, but due to the ongoing conflict in their home country of Ukraine, a replacement was needed. The amazing organizers of Knotfest could not have chosen a more fitting band to take that role, and this young talented outfit called Wage War was perfect to fit the bill. The crowd went wild throughout their entire set from the opening song “Relapse”, all the way to the closer “Stitch”. The live sound production is something I tend to notice a lot more these days and Wage War knocked it out of the park in this department. They do have a couple of softer songs that was implemented impressively well into their setlist. It was kind of a breath of fresh air if you will, and really added to their overall sound. The stage was filled with equipment for the next two bands which I’ll get to, however, I feel like the guys from Wage War would have killed that stage if they had the room to move around. This band is meant bounce around on the stage. They do have a headlining tour set up later in 2022, and I am dead set on catching them live again. Keep your eyes peeled, because Wage War are here to stay. Knotfest was a huge step forward for this group, and its one of the many big steps that they are ready to take.
In This Moment:
I’ve been paying a lot of attention to the women of heavy metal music in the past couple of weeks – and this one, I must say, goes down in history. It was unfortunate that we couldn’t shoot live footage for this set because it was an insane performance put on display by In This Moment. They had such a great setup. Frontwoman Maria Brink and her dancers came out onto the stage and I could tell immediately that they out lot of work in at putting this set together. A big shoutout to their stage manager Jessica Hill for directing this masterpiece as well. Towards the middle of their set, Maria disappeared for a moment inside a pyramid-like structure and came back out in white robes that was being held via rope by her 2 other dancers. Donned in their majestic and exotic outfits, they continued to pull Maria from left to right as she rocked the set during the song “Blood.” The fog was a great recipe within the show as well. It’s quite the visual anyway on seeing stage fog at live shows, however, this felt different. It was coordinated and timed with not only the show but with the dancing/choreography as well. Probably the best utilization of fog for a show that I’ve ever seen. It was as if I’m watching a show unfold on Broadway, or watching a cinematic film with the way it was coordinated. On the last song, massive numerous balloons came out bouncing throughout the crowd, really added to the experience. It was at this moment it truly felt like an otherworldly event. Maria was on a tall platform singing the fan favorite “Whore” as these balloons immersed the stage. This was also a fantastic way to celebrate Women’s Appreciation Month in a metal fashion. Maria spoke directly to all the women in the crowd and put on a memorable performance to the world, exemplifying just exactly how extraordinary woman are and how much worth they have regardless of whatever anyone thinks. A great set put on by In This Moment for sure. I’ll admit, it was a challenge to veer my attention to take mental notes for this review because I was so blown away by this performance. If you get the opportunity to see them in a town near you, don’t wait. Grab those tickets now.
Slipknot:
Now for the main event. This is why we are all here. SLIPKNOT. KNOTFEST.
The curtain for Slipknot was written across the massive drape as it illuminated in red; Yeah, I’m getting pumped up for this as I anticipate what is about to unfold. Slipknot has never let me down over the years, in the studio or in the live setting. They were made for the live setting. I could also see that my partner, Sonny, made his way to the front of the pit with his camera getting ready to shoot. Just minutes before the curtain dropped, Sonny had security assist him, as he leaped on top of the barricade and started pumping the crowd up as he raised his hands in the air to get the excitement up to a 10. It was quite the sight as the crowd responded to him with a roar, and really made me proud to know that we are also a representative for the fans here at Interview Under Fire. Well done Sonny, this is something that needs to happen before every show we attend. The suspense is killer, and boom, at 9:00pm CST in Durant, Oklahoma at the Choctaw Casino and Resorts, it was showtime. Slipknot opens with “Disasterpiece”, and all 9 members are feeding off the energy from the crowd and my mind is already blown. They followed up with “Wait And Bleed” and it brought me back to the early 2000s as the fond memories began to settle in. Yep, you guessed it, chills down my spine. Percussionist Michael Pfaff jumping off a 10 ft platform is going batshit crazy, there’s fire exploding behind the band, and the crowd is going absolutely insane. I’m in my seat back here and I’m getting revved up during this segment of the show. Slipknot puts a ton of value in their fans, and they have become absolute pros to get the crowd going. Frontman Corey Taylor recognized that a lot of Texans are here at this packed show in Oklahoma, and assured to them that by the end of the night, they’ll all be one family regardless of where anyone traveled from. There’s always been this inner rivalry between Texans and Oklahomans, so this was nice to see. The pyrotechnics were insane during this show, and this is an understatement. Now to be specific, I was sitting in the 5th row back behind the pit; The fire blasts were so intense, it felt as if the heat was right in front of my face. The sell-out crowd, who continued to go nuts, sang along to every song. One song in particular was “Before I Forget”, and the crowds participation in this song was spectacular. It’s these moments that really leave an everlasting moment burned in my memory.
Every song was performed as if it was the last song of the night, an ingredient of a finale that was ingrained. They also announced a new album dropping soon and played a song from it called “The Chapeltown Rag.” I’ve heard this song several times on Sirius Liquid Metal and I was glad to see it performed live. This song really exemplifies all their work over the years into one offering. At one point during the set, Corey Taylor gave a shoutout to Jinjer who had to drop from the tour due to the unfortunate events happening in their country of Ukraine. He assured to everyone, that they will tour together in the future after the conflict is resolved. Corey sure has a knack for connecting and conversing with the audience, especially prior to performing the fan favorite “The Heretic Anthem.” The crowd was part of this song for sure. Certain tunes from Slipknot just stick with you from the start, and this one is right up there. The fire blasts continued throughout their memorable set, adding to an already flawless performance. What else could they play to add to the madness? Plenty more, that’s what. As the set continued into the song “The Devil And I,” bassist Alex Venturella had a flame thrower attached to his bass guitar which I’ve never seen done before in my life. What an insane idea that seems so normal for a band such as Slipknot. When they played “Snuff,” it was a nice break from the insane pace they were on before picking it back up with “Vermilion.” Slipknot closed with one more OG song called “Spit It Out.” At this point, the ground was literally shaking. For knowing how long most of these people in the building have been away from the live concert experience, you could tell it was well worth the comeback. Did they have an encore? Of course they did! 3 to be exact. One of them included possibly their holy grail tune, “People=Shit”, followed by “SIC” and “Surfacing” to close out a legendary night. The nostalgia was real at this show, and it was perfect for any old school and new school Slipknot fan. If there’s anything more that I’ve gained from this experience, is that I can’t ever afford to miss any Slipknot show that comes to a city near me. Considering what we have all endured in the last 2 years, I am forever grateful for these times again.
Let that be a message to anyone reading this, go to the shows, and take it all in. These moments live forever. Slipknot will be hitting the road here again soon with Cypress Hill and Ho99o9 for the second leg of Knotfest, so do yourself a favor and make it out to one of those dates. I placed the setlist below for this night in particular. If there’s ever such a thing as a perfect set, this is it. Until next time, this is Cory Hodges aka Schwag, signing out.
Complete set list:
• Disasterpiece
• Wait and Bleed
• Sulfur
• Before I Forget
• The Chapeltown Rag
• Dead Memories
• Unsainted
• The Heretic Anthem
• Psychosocial
• The Devil in I
• Solway Firth
• All Out Life
• Snuff
• Vermilion
• Duality
• Custer
• Spit It Out
Encore
People=shit
SIC
Surfacing
