The coveralls.
The barcodes.
The masks.
The mayhem.
Staying true to form, the nine of Slipknot converged after a brief respite to launch a sneak attack in the California desert. The unexpected, unconventional celebration, marked one of the band's most important milestones and served to begin their 25th anniversary rollout with the very first show of what is shaping up to be a monumental 2024.
Slipknot descended upon the intimate confines of Pappy & Harriett's located in Pioneertown - just off the beaten path on the skirts of the San Bernardino High Desert. The closest thing to an old West outpost still in existence, the ambiance was that of a proper showdown - with the men in the red coveralls left standing with the smoking gun.
For the fans able to act fast enough, the few hundred that passed through the doors of the unassuming venue were among the lucky ones that were on hand to bear witness to the kind of event destined to become part of metal music lore. On this night, the masked nine that have spent the last generation climbing the genre's highest mountains and earning every accolade would return to their roots - stepping on stage with the same intensity and same focus that has become their signature.
Only this time it would not be in front of an arena, nor with the mammoth backdrop of their requisite, grand scale production. Tonight, under the stars in the desert sky, Slipknot would take fans back to 1999 with the kind of no frills, brass tacks set that first launched the band into another stratosphere all those years ago.
Stalking the stage in vintage masks, vested in the iconic red coveralls that first served as the battle gear that would define the era, Slipknot emerged triumphant and proved terrorizing as ever. Rallying the fans to make this an up-close and personal happening, the Great Big Mouth laid bare the band's intentions - to take fans back to where it all started.
Laying down the gauntlet with the one-two of "People = Shit" and "Eyeless", the focused, concise set list leaned into the band's early catalog with a handful of essentials added for good measure. Anthems in "Disasterpiece" and a revisiting of "Prosthetics" for the first time in more than five years were among the most effective entries - though there were no lulls in what played out as a near 90-minute onslaught.
Hitting reset to reemerge for the band's encore, Corey Taylor took pause and spoke with command, confiding among the loyal fan in a moment of unfiltered candor. Expressing his sincere gratitude, Taylor explained how routine can cause the band to lose sight of "why we do this". Reiterating the sense of community that galvanized around the band a generation ago and has only grown since, Taylor emphasized that the fans remain core to culture of Slipknot and the reason the band continue to pursue new plateaus.
Punctuating the night with the pummeling trifecta of "Duality", followed by "Spit It Out" and capped with our National anthem in "Surfacing" - Slipknot asserted they reside on a tier all their own and offered testament to the notion that it might actually be more like '99 'til Infinity.
See the images below from Danielle Parsons below.
