Slipknot kicked off the 4th of July weekend with a loud and boisterous bang at the Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre on July 1, 2016. The masked rockers brought along Marilyn Manson and Of Mice & Men to ensure the fireworks lasted the entire night.
Just two weeks before Slipknot took the stage in West Palm Beach, Florida, Corey Taylor was sidelined, and the summer tour postponed, due to unexpected spinal surgery. The official word sent out to the fans was that the lead singer had a broken neck. An injury almost certainly sustained by years of metal madness and unrestrained head banging. Inside the venue there was a buzz about whether or not he would still be able to pummel out a full set of tunes wearing a neck brace. All concerns were quickly dashed when #8 put the microphone up to his mouth and began screaming out the lyrics to The Negative One. Though there was some limited mobility, Corey Taylor’s performance still had a vicious bite.
Guitarists Jim Root and Mick Thomson shred through songs with malicious intent, melting the faces of all the fist-pumping maggots in the VIP pit. The duality of axe slingers showcased the uniquely different talents both musicians bring to the band. Percussionists Shawn Crahan and Chris Fehn flanked the stage on rotating perches that rose above the other members of Slipknot. The true clown of rock -n- roll and his long-nosed cohort both pounded out unrelenting beats with a fury of flailing theatrics.
Despite not being front and center, Craig Jones gave a pointed performance. The silent masked metaller with sharp protrusions has been sampling and playing the keys with Slipknot since 1996. Sid Wilson (AKA DJ Starscreamer) worked the turn tables and acted as disc jockey during the GRAMMY-Award winning band’s south Florida concert. The rhythm section featured bassist Alessandro Venturella and drummer Jay Weinberg. Weinberg is the son of another famous drumming Weinberg — though their styles are dramatically different. The younger stick handler exudes macho bravado while unleashing frenetic fills and steady rambunctious beats. Venturella took the low end to new heights with continuous bone jarring thumps that rocked everyone in the outdoor amphitheatre.
Slipknot is out on the road through November with a major headlining appearance at Ozzfest meets Knotfest on September 25 in San Bernadino, California.
Marilyn Manson
The Pale Emperor walked onto the stage dressed in a black trench coat, grabbed a shotgun microphone stand with brass knuckles attached to the top and stuck the barrel of the faux gun into his mouth. It was a fittingly goth moment for Marilyn Manson. Longtime band member Jeordie White (Twiggy Ramirez) was on hand to play all the tunes that helped the band reign supreme in the suicide rock genre. Never wanting to lose his reputation as being a shock rock star, Marilyn Manson broke a beer bottle and cut himself in front of the crowd at Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre.
Of Mice & Men
Orange County, California natives Of Mice & Men opened the Slipknot concert with a hard hitting set that featured tracks from their upcoming album: Cold World. The metalcore band played a solid set that got the fans all revved up for a night of metal mayhem during a muggy Friday evening.
