Photo by Roger Ho
Slipknot’s Desert Standoff
Properly commencing their 25th anniversary festivities, the masked horde of Slipknot took to the small California desert outpost of Pioneertown to host a historic underplay back in April. Taking to the outdoor stage at Pappy & Harriet’s, the band emerged in their iconic red jumpsuits to perform their seminal debut album, in full.
The show was the smallest venue the band had played in decades, giving the lucky fans that made it in the experience of a lifetime. The show also marked Eloy Casagrande’s live introduction - a helluva welcome for the legendary Brazilian drummer who now dawns the ominous all white mask for Slipknot.
Knocked Loose’s Network Television Takeover
Capping off what has been a career year for the Louisville standouts, Knocked Loose were welcomed as the special musical guest for a national broadcast of the Jimmy Kimmel Live show this fall. The band played the outdoor stage and shared selections from their Grammy-nominated, AOTY candidate, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To in front of a capacity crowd.
With pyro cannons blasting flames, fans on the floor circling into a pit and a even a special assist from Poppy for the anthem “Suffocate”, Knocked Loose garnered headlines for their showing, proving disruptive enough to have some Kimmel viewers demanding an apology.
Knocked Loose frontman Bryan Garris would eventually respond to the detractors, sharing the collective sentiment of heavy music fans everywhere… “If it scared you, good.”
Gojira’s Olympic Revolution
It was the kind of landmark performance that will go down in the permanent lore of heavy music. Not only did France metal masters Gojira represent their home country in becoming the first ever metal band to perform at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, but they did so from the side of a fucking castle!
Performing from the Conciergerie, a palace on the banks of the Seine River, the band ripped into a rendition of "Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça Ira)”, leaning into the Games’ ceremonial themes of spirited rebellion and France’s revolutionary lineage. Along with opera singer Marina Viotti, Gojira delivered a fiery showing that has since earned them a Grammy nomination as a result.
Slaughter to Prevail Lead Epic Wall of Death at Hellfest
Making a lasting impact during the 2024 European festival season, deathcore firebrand Slaughter to Prevail earned a reputation for their charged performances - submitting highlight sets for each of their touring stops. The band’s showing on the MainStage at Hellfest would be one of the ages however, with the band prepping fans to show their solidarity by participating in the “Biggest Wall of Death on Earth”.
While it’s tough to quantify whether or not Slaughter to Prevail did enough to notch their position in the history books, or if there even is such a record in the first place, the marvel of such a massive wall of death was incredible. The set would go viral, becoming another highlight in 2024’s year of heavy.
Deftones Shine at Lolla
Among the highlights from this year's Lollapalooza weekend in Chicago included a memorable set from Deftones. Further fueling the anticipation of the band’s set, Deftones also played an intimate warm-up gig at Chicago's Metro - delivering a thrilling set for the 1000+ fans that were lucky enough to get in.
The band's Lollapalooza set covered some of the band's most enduring entries with favorites from White Pony, Diamond Eyes, and the band's earliest albums Around the Fur and Adrenaline all making the cut. The only newer entry to be featured would be Deftones closer with "Genesis" from Ohms rounding out the band's time.
The performance was streamed in its entirety via HULU as part of the streaming giant's weekend broadcast of the festival. The pro-shot footage from the set can be found below.
Linkiin Park 2.0
Led by Mike Shinoda, the return of Linkin Park was among the biggest takeaways from 2024. Submitting their first release of new music in seven years, the band debuted their latest full length album, From Zero, featuring new vocalist Emily Armstrong. In addition, the band began a global campaign of live dates which included the confirmation of major festival dates as well as the band’s own stadium shows.
System Of A Down Make History At San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park
With more than 50,000 attendees making their way to the Bay, System Of A Down along with Deftones led the first-ever after-dark performance at San Francisco’s landmark Golden Gate Bridge. The show was na instant sell out, becoming one of the hottest tickets in heavy music.
The showing from System was the band’s only performance in 2024, outside of their sold-out Sick New World Festival in Las Vegas which happened earlier in the Spring.
The resounding success of the San Francisco seemed to have a domino effect in that System would go onto announce a run of stadium shows in 2025 along with their ‘Wake Up’ 2025 South American tour - marking the band’s first trip to the region in a decade.
