WORDS BY DAVID TAYLOR AND PHOTOS BY ROBERT A CHADWICK | Go Venue Magazine
On Thursday, August 8, the Knotfest Roadshow, Slipknot’s very own touring festival, made a stop at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, marking twenty years since their last appearance in the Cornhusker Capital in 1999. Slipknot also brought along with them three of the biggest international bands in the world. It was definitively the heaviest show to hit Pinnacle Bank Arena, and all the bands were ready to unleash each of their brand of heavy music.
Extreme metal band Behemoth from Poland opened up the show. And they did it their own way that I’ve never seen an opening band open a show before. They brought corpse paint. They brought pyro. They brought upside-down cross CO2. The band ripped through a 7 song set full of blast beats and guitar solos. Though a little bit more extreme and heavy than Slipknot, the crowd was loving it all.
Up next was Gojira from France. This four-piece was the most progressive-sounding band on the bill, with its complex time signatures and lyrics about the environmentalism. They, too, brought some blast beats, but overall were more heavier-sounding with their groove-laden riffs. They also brought a lot of CO2. I was looking forward to finally seeing this band as much as Slipknot, and they put on one hell of a set.
The direct support of the night came from Volbeat from Denmark. In April, I had the chance to see this band open up for Godsmack (you can read that review on Go Venue’s website after you read this). It was for the most part almost the same show, but in tow with them were a couple of new songs from their latest album, Rewind, Replay, Rebound, as well as playing some of their heavier material. Though, they were not as heavy as the other bands on the bill, they brought good vibes all around before Slipknot brought the chaos, the calm before the storm, if you will. Everyone was singing along to their hit singles, such as “Still Counting” and “A Warrior’s Call”. Though not the ideal direct support for Slipknot, Volbeat made it their own to win the crowd over.
Finally, it was the Midwest brethren Slipknot to hit the stage. This was my third time seeing them live and with every time, they get better and better. For the past twenty years, their live show is nothing like anything out there. The chaotic nature of their performance is unreal. The amount of pyro they brought was threw the roof, I was worried about bassist Alessandro Venturella, as he was walking under these pyro cannons. But, Corey Taylor and the Iowa gang brought their A game for the Nebraska audience, ripping through 17 songs of their illustrious career. The Maggots, Slipknot’s proclaimed fans, raged on the floor, always wanting more from the band. What a perfect night on the eve of their latest album, We Are Not Your Kind, to play a show in the Midwest. Thank you, Pinnacle Bank Arena, Live Nation, Mammoth, and 104-1 The Blaze for bringing the heaviest show in the Knotfest Roadshow to hit PBA, yet.
Slipknot
Volbeat
Gojira
Behemoth
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