Man, oh man. I have listened to Slipknot (*****) for a long time but never really thought about seeing them live (no idea why!) and I got the opportunity to see them live on September 10th, 2021 – otherwise known as Day 1 (or night) of Inkcarceration in Mansfield, Ohio. When I tell you it’s a freakin’ experience to see these guys live, that’s a vast understatement!

They opened with their song “Unsainted” and as soon as the song began and I saw the stage set up I knew I was in for a treat. When the man, the myth, the legend Corey Taylor stepped out on stage in his NEW mask and started to sing my jaw literally dropped and I was in awe! I truly wish I had seen these guys before now, but I think the atmosphere and timing was just right.

The amount of sound they put into their music is insane. All together Slipknot has Corey Taylor doing vocals, Shawn “Clown” Crahan and Michael “Tortilla Man” Pfaff on percussion, Mick Thomson and Jim Root on guitar, Alessandro “V-Man” Venturella on bass, Jay Weinberg on drums, Sid Wilson on turntables and Craig “133” Jones on samples and keyboards. Now THAT is a lot of communication, planning, and thought to go into the music they do but somehow they make it work! I am mind-blown to just think about how much effort goes into their music. And boy does that effort shine through.

Although I was probably about as far back as I could be for the Slipknot set, I completely forgot. They have a way of making it so you get so entranced by the performance and music (for me anyway) that the world around me just quieted down and I had what I swear was a religious experience. Or as close to one as I’ve ever had. I appreciate the fact that the live show sounded crystal clear, like listening to their albums on surround sound.

One touching moment of the show was when Corey was talking about how good it was to be back in Ohio and said “It’s been a crazy f*cking career, with a lot of people in this family. Some still here, some not. But on behalf of them I want to say thank you so f*cking much for staying with us.” He also said how everyone in the audience was family, and “we need to ignore all of the bullsh*t flying over out heads and stick together because that’s the only way we can get through this”. I tell you what, I got goosebumps when the crowd cheered after him saying all of this. He’s right though. Whether in the audience of a Slipknot concert, or any other concert. We are family, music IS family.

I find myself wishing to relive the concert, just to feel that first time rush but instead I will settle with buying tickets to see them when they’re up my way. A special thank you goes out to Danny Wimmer Presents for hosting Inkcarceration and making it a safe place to rock out, and enjoy life again during a crazy time in the world!

Set List:
1. Unsainted
2.Disasterpiece
3. Nero Forte
4. Before I forget
5. Psychosocial
6. Wait and Bleed
7. Vermillion
8. Eyeless
9. Left Behind
10. All Out Life
11. Duality
Encore:
12. People = Shit
13. (sic)
14. Surfacing

Follow Slipknot on social media:
Official Site – https://slipknot1.com/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/slipknot/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/slipknot
Twitter – https://twitter.com/slipknot