A Wild Night In Providence – Knotfest 2022 Part 2

Slipknot broke their 2022 Knotfest tour up into two legs. The first leg featured supporting acts In This Moment and openers, Wage War. One month following the close of the first leg, leg 2 featuring Cypress Hill with openers, HO99O9 kicked off. Music Madness caught an early show of the second leg at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. This was my first trip to this venue and hopefully not the last. It’s laid out like most arenas but it has great sound and friendly staff. As the name suggests, they have coffee stands! This helps when you have an almost 2-hour ride home.

Opening the show was hip hop/punk/metal sensations, HO99O9. This band clearly has many influences and they blend them seamlessly. They are touring on the back of their 3/22 release Skin which features a collaboration with Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor. Those who arrived early were treated to a bone-jarring set from this juggernaut out of Los Angeles. The OGM and Eaddy stalked the stage shrouded in smoke and darkness as they commanded the attention of everyone in the audience. For those going to Knotfest, make sure you get there early to catch this unique band. You will not be sorry.

Next up on the bill were the cannabis-loving hip hop kings, Cypress Hill. Media photographers were not allowed to photograph this group of fun-loving miscreants this evening. Unfortunately, they were a man down as Sen Dog is sitting out this tour with medical issues. However, the show must go on! Kudos to Cypress Hill for following this old show biz motto. Even though they were short-staffed, they still had the crowd jumping as only Cypress Hill can do. The crowd was in a steady frenzy throughout the set. However, the audience exploded as they broke into their wildly popular hit, Insane In The Brain. Following that gem, they left the crowd in a frenzy with their set ending House of Pain cover, Jump Around.

The arena was packed as the anticipation built. All those buying t-shirts were back in their seats or had staked out their spots on the floor. The audience erupted as the large curtain with the Slipknot logo raised showing the elaborate stage setting occupied by the band itself. Much like a KISS concert, the Slipknot concert is as much visual as it is aural. Percussionist singers were perched high above either side of the stage. Drummer and sampler were roosting at the rear of the stage on top of lighted risers. Guitarists and lead singer prowled the stage along with the aforementioned members. And all were ominously masked like someone in a big screen psychological thriller. Add some smoke and flames to this assemblage, and you have an optical overload known as Slipknot!

Corey Taylor’s voice is as strong as it ever was. Twenty-plus years of grinding out Slipknot songs have not diminished his capacity for filling an arena with his ferocious vocals. The band is as tight as an over-wound watch spring. Their set was a collection of songs covering their storied history. They gave a peek into their upcoming album with “The Chapeltown Rag“. This lead song was released late last year and if the rest of this album is as frenzied as this is, it will be a killer!

The covid pandemic slowed the touring scene down but Slipknot returned with a vengeance last year and has kept their collective feet down hard on the pedal. They will be touring North America through mid-June. Then after a short breather, they head off to grace Europe with their mighty presence. Their show is one not to be missed. Those who have seen them, know. Those who haven’t seen them, need to.