Slipknot Will Always Have A Place In Belfast
There’s one very special thing about live music in my hometown of Belfast; bands rarely stop there since it’s out of the way and expensive to get to. However, when an established band actually does make the effort to perform there, they’re always rewarded by some of the warmest crowds I’ve ever seen (when Foo Fighters came to Belfast in 2012, the crowd were so loud that people were complaining in towns almost 15 miles away from the site).
Before Suicidal Tendencies even came on stage, eager members of the crowd dressed in boiler suits and hideous masks can be seen squishing themselves against the barrier, clearly oblivious as to how chaotic the entire arena was going to get when Slipknot appeared. I didn’t bump into a single person who was actively looking forward to seeing Suicidal Tendencies, but they received rave reviews from this Belfast crowd, who were clearly infected by Mike Muir’s energy on stage.
None of this can compare to the excitement of the nearly 10,000 strong crowd of maggots, who can be seen literally pulsing in anticipation, and this is a full 15 minutes before Slipknot are even supposed to take stage. In reality, the ‘Knot emerged 15 minutes late, eventually kicking into the first notes of “The Negative One”, to the joy of those in the pit and the equal dismay of those being crushed at the barrier.
Corey Taylor (vocals) sounds absolutely perfect from start to finish, and can be seen clearly giving his all during “Disasterpiece” and “Eyeless”. Jay Weinberg (drums) is on point as always, giving an equally perfect performance. Guitarists Jim Root and Mick Thomson do their thing, but #5 is the one having the most fun, often seen doing little more than dancing along to the music.
The obligatory slow section of the set came in the form of “Killpop”, closely followed by “Dead Memories”, the chance for Corey Taylor to show off his incredible clean vocal work amidst all the venomous, angry vocals. It was after this slow section that Corey appeared to be genuinely lost for words (if even for the first time), as his band received probably one of their warmest receptions in years.
The rest of the set was packed full of huge tracks, with no time for rest – “Psychosocial” is followed by “Wait and Bleed”, and “Duality” follows that. As sweat slowly fills the air, the floor of the Belfast Arena quickly becomes a cathartic haven – an ideal place for everyone to sing, yell and mosh their sorrows away.
The powerful performance (the band’s first in Belfast since 2002!) was closed by the classic “Spit It Out”, an appropriately rowdy way to bring things to an end. Throughout the set, a huge screen located behind the band depicted gross and unnerving clips (such as bugs eating other bugs alive). Its purpose changed during the final track however, where it served to get people even more pumped for the big finale. As is now tradition, everyone sat down during the middle of Spit It Out, ready to “jump the fuck up” when it kicked back in. Chaos ensued, ensuring a crazy end to a seriously amazing show – so amazing that we actually believe Corey and the rest of Slipknot when they say “We’ll Be Back”.
COMMENTS
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Sounds sicccckkkkkk
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Great review
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The energy in their Cardiff show was palpable! The 'Spit it out' trigger they seem to have set in now with that simultaneous crowd leap, is without a doubt a section I always look forward to.
