Knotfest 2022 Tears Through Climate Pledge Arena In Seattle

With a near capacity crowd of over 17,000 “Maggots” in the crowd, the Knotfest Roadshow came into Climate Pledge Arena and brought the house down. The roadshow didn’t just bring the headliners of Slipknot, they also brought along quality opening bands that offered up a lethal intense mix of hip-hop and punk. That mix was brought on by Ho99o9 (pronounced “Horror”) and legendary hip-hop group Cypress Hill.

They did what every opening band should do… wake up the crowd

Kicking off the night was Ho99o9 with a frantic but quick set. This trio of a band unleashed a powerful mix of punk, hip-hop and industrial to light off the night. Making sure to show the crowd their hardcore roots, the band ran through a gang of songs that set the tone for the rest of the show.

Next up were the OG’s of hip-hop, Cypress Hill. As their set kicked off, DJ Lord (Prophets of Rage) came out and really amped up the crowd with a great mix and cacophony of tunes from multiple genres setting the stage for a lesson in classic West Coast rap. While founding member Sen Dog is resting from surgery and was not able to be on this part of the tour, frontman B-Real more than held his own alongside percussionist Eric Bobo and DJ Lord. Running through many Gen-X anthems like ”How I Could Just Kill a Man,” and ”Insane in the Membrane”. Songs that had the crowd sweeping and ready for the headliners… Slipknot.

With a curtain emblazoned with Slipknot covering the entire stage, the crowd was getting antsy and music being piped into the arena, the feeling of anticipation was almost palpable in the air. Then arena went dark with nothing but the lights behind the curtain shining through. And AC/DC’s “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) started blasting through. Which was kind of poignant as their choice for a pre-show piped in track. The mortar fire in the AC/DC tune gave way to actual pyrotechnics that cheered the crowd on. But then in an ironic twist the track segued into the 1968 country song “Get Behind Me And Push Satan” by Billie Jo Spears. As the track played on, it seemed to have gotten stuck on the name “Satan” as it started fading away. With that the curtain fell, then in a blink of an eye it was sucked back up to the rafters of the stage and it was game on. Kicking off their almost 2 hour non-stop set with “Disasterpiece” off their 2001 Iowa album.

Frontman Corey Taylor was engaging and kept the crowd wanting more. After the band finished “Unsainted” which is the lead single on their 6th studio album We Are Not Your Kind Taylor took the time to talk to the crowd about racial and gender equality and how everyone in the room is a part of a huge family. And how anyone who is not on the same page as them, can get the “fuck out right now”. He then went on to say that the band had figured out an equation to figure out which side of the family you’re on. And that equation was simple… “If you’re 555, then I’m 666”, which launched the band into “The Heretic Anthem”. It was at this point two mosh pit circles formed in the crowd on the floor.

Playing 1-2 songs off every studio album in their discography. Ending the night with a 4 track encore. As the other members of the band left the stage, Taylor was standing center stage for an additional 3-5 minutes thanking the crowd.

When Slipknot came into the national music scene in 1999 from the suburbs of Des Moines, Iowa, few people could foresee the what laid ahead for this insanely sonically abrasive, larger than life heavy metal band. Now in 2022 the band has created a fan base that spreads way beyond any one genre of music. Beyond any one style of music. Beyond any one record, or even any one song. The bands appeal is now a mass appeal. What started off as a small aggressive musical style that a lot of people didn’t understand, is now something that is globally understood by people who are not metal fans. It’s an appeal that just spreads because it’s more than just the music. It is a lifestyle.