Metal Heaven “SLIPKNOT” at Dos Equis

Written by Wilmar Mejia

“Rock is finally dead”, many aging superstars have heard. And they’ve spread the bad news. Doomsday is here… music is no more, our favorite genre is gone!  These words “Rock is finally dead” would be nothing relevant or newsworthy had they not been uttered by one of its iconic purveyors, Kiss’ Gene Simmons, whose influence shaped not only a generation of fans, but a generation of musicians.  The impact of his band, Kiss, exploded beyond rock music and went into merchandising in ways that no other band had ever before, or since.  So his words and analysis of the rock industry gained notoriety, and begged the question.  Is rock music as a genre, less popular than ever?

A short moment approaching Dos Equis Pavilion on Wednesday September 19 was all that a person needed to erase those doubts.  The traditional lines of cars seen at the most popular live music shows were as long as they can be.  The thousands of fans, or maggots, the name their fans are proud to stand by, arriving by foot from every direction was a sight to see.  Not only were there all very committed to the band they were coming to see, by wearing their favorite Slipknot t-shirt, black jeans or leather, but they were as women, men, men in their 50s and 60s, children with their parents, and an a lot of fans who looked like they themselves were very young children when Slipknot released their debut album 25 years ago.

And it was that album that Slipknot came here to celebrate.  Aptly named “Here Comes The Pain, 25th Anniversary,” Slipknot brought the pain, the energy, the raw menacing power that delivers healing for the thousands of fans that packed Dos Equis Pavillion in the middle of a warm end of summer evening.  If there was a powerful energy emanating from the warm Texas summer, it was not to be thought of, because the only energy the audience could feel was coming from the stage.  Perhaps it was that this show was sort of a tour end, as the very last show before three days later Slipknot would play their hometown of Des Moines in their own Knotfest, but this show had an energy that proved that rock was very much indeed, alive and kicking you in the face.

And face is something about Slipknot that we do not need to see.  Wearing their iconic masks and industrial red uniforms, the spectacle of seeing all nine bandmembers on stage before one note is played drove the crowd into a frenzy.  Once they started playing their instruments, including massive drums and sets of percussion on each side of the stage, the crowd got the show they came to see, and hear.  While the concept of stage disguise was not invented by Slipknot, credit can go to the aforementioned Kiss as the ones who made it very popular back in the 70s, it has been Slipknot who took it to new heights and, in their live show, blow away any previous attempts by any band at putting an explosive show in front of their audience.

The setlist included some “deep cuts” or “your own national anthem” as he introduced Surfacing.  But judging by the audience reaction, you wouldn’t know which are deep tracks and which are widely known, since the audience sang along to every single line, while jumping, slam dancing, and fists in the air.  Do not let this make you think that people got hurt though, as even women were seen crowd surfing and intensely yet carefully being taken above the crowd’s arms to the front of the stage.  This show was about Slipknot warning everyone that Here Comes The Pain, but in the music and community at live shows with such energy, here comes the healing too.

So, back to the original question. “Is rock finally dead?”.  Simply put, rock, heavy rock, and particularly, live music shows of heavy music, are solid evidence day in and day out that rock bands and the rock community are more alive than ever.  And if a Wednesday crowd can prove anything is that rock show spectacles like the ones Slipknot brought to town, are growing and growing, waiting for you to celebrate along.

SLIPKNOT

Knocked Loose

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