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Download Festival 2005: Slipknot - 12th June 2005
Setlist: Prelude 3.0 / The Blister Exists / (sic) / Disasterpiece / Before I Forget / Left Behind / Vermilion / Pulse Of The Maggots / Everything Ends / The Heretic Anthem / Duality / Spit It Out / People = Shit / Wait and Bleed / Surfacing
I can’t pretend to know anything about this band, other than what is blatantly obvious. We stood on the hill to the left of the stage and waited as the rain that had been threatening all day, finally arrived. The only Slipknot song that I can name, and will admit to liking, is Prelude, from their last album, which is what they user for their leader tape.
I don’t know what their appeal is, but they are different and, in spite of the grunting and growling, I find them eminently watchable, much to my continued surprise. I have seen them live twice now and each time I find myself rather enjoying their performance, in spite of knowing that I really shouldn’t. They are a musical horror movie; Heavy Metal Texas Chainsaw Hellraiser. But, even with their boiler-suited, masked shenanigans, they actually can play and the big guy at the front can sing; I wish he sang more and did less of the wild boar impersonations though.
I can’t pretend to know anything about this band, other than what is blatantly obvious. We stood on the hill to the left of the stage and waited as the rain that had been threatening all day, finally arrived. The only Slipknot song that I can name, and will admit to liking, is Prelude, from their last album, which is what they user for their leader tape.
I don’t know what their appeal is, but they are different and, in spite of the grunting and growling, I find them eminently watchable, much to my continued surprise. I have seen them live twice now and each time I find myself rather enjoying their performance, in spite of knowing that I really shouldn’t. They are a musical horror movie; Heavy Metal Texas Chainsaw Hellraiser. But, even with their boiler-suited, masked shenanigans, they actually can play and the big guy at the front can sing; I wish he sang more and did less of the wild boar impersonations though.
Nevertheless, Slipknot is aimed at a younger audience, not old farts like me, and these young whippersnappers like that guttural, primeval, rutting type of vocal. Which is cool with me. I’m still young enough inside to realise that, as we grow older, the music of the younger generation always sounds a little less tuneful than that with which we have grown old. That’s just the way it goes, and it will happened to my children too.
When I was 17, my parents couldn’t understand how I could listen to Ian Gillan’s screaming with such apparent reverence for hours at a time, nor why I was so taken with Iron Maiden’s gruesome tales of murder and fallen women, with those screeching guitars and bass lines that made the doors and windows rattle. The appeal of King Crimson, Gentle Giant, ELP and Atomic Rooster was completely lost on them, and they could see no reason why I needed to play it all so loud, and for so long. I admit that I have grown old disgracefully though, and I am still guilty of having people coming to me to ask me to turn my music down! I rarely ask my kids to turn down the volume and, more often than not, I’m urging them to put more wattage to the cottage!
When I was 17, my parents couldn’t understand how I could listen to Ian Gillan’s screaming with such apparent reverence for hours at a time, nor why I was so taken with Iron Maiden’s gruesome tales of murder and fallen women, with those screeching guitars and bass lines that made the doors and windows rattle. The appeal of King Crimson, Gentle Giant, ELP and Atomic Rooster was completely lost on them, and they could see no reason why I needed to play it all so loud, and for so long. I admit that I have grown old disgracefully though, and I am still guilty of having people coming to me to ask me to turn my music down! I rarely ask my kids to turn down the volume and, more often than not, I’m urging them to put more wattage to the cottage!
So, Slipknot gets a big thumbs up, not only for their music, but also for their stage show, which is obviously quite an expensive item and well thought out. They are a very visual band and they do it all very well. Flames, revolving, rotating drum kits, smoke and pretty lights, none of it new, but as a package it is very effective and fun to watch.
I wish I could have stayed and seen their entire set but, I had some old folks music to go and see, music from before my time even: The MC5.
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
14th June 2005
I wish I could have stayed and seen their entire set but, I had some old folks music to go and see, music from before my time even: The MC5.
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
14th June 2005
