They sold out Santander Arena along with Wage War
Slipknot are undeniably one of the most ferocious acts around. They’ve been a dominate force in heavy metal for over two decades. The band is on the brink of releasing their seventh studio album. Until then, their making up for time lost during the pandemic and bringing the Knotfest Roadshow back out to audiences around the country. On this run, the band is performing an unrelenting 20-song set featuring material from every album in their catalog.
Last night at the Santander Arena in Reading, Slipknot unloaded on the sold out crowd with special guests Wage War.
Florida metallers Wage War kicked off the evening’s festivities in place of Jinjer. The latter were unable to join the U.S. tour due to the ongoing conflict in their native Ukraine. Slipknot called upon Wage War to fill the slot last minute. They stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park.
They showcased their latest album, 2021’s Manic (Fearless Records). They performed seven songs from the LP, including the hit singles “High Horse,” “Teeth,” and “Circle The Drain.” Other highlights from the set included “Alive,” “Godspeed,” and “Deathroll.” They finished up their time with “Stitch” from their sophomore effort Deadweight.
Wage War are technically ferocious with lots of energy, and we’re anticipating their name to be a lot higher on festival posters very soon.
Slipknot’s Knotfest Roadshow set is an absolute tour de force. The heavy music veterans have been doing this for a while now, and it shows. Without a new album to push (yet), their setlist is a “best of” barrage that leaves even the most hardcore Slipknot fans satisfied.
They started by reaching deep into their catalog with “Disasterpiece.” They immediately went into their seminal hit “Wait and Bleed.” They gave the audience a brief breather before throwing them into a crowd-surfing frenzy with “Sulfur.”
It was clear that Slipknot meant business.
From there, the band put their foot on the gas and never let up. They launched GRAMMY® Award-winner “Before I Forget” and then premiered their new single “The Chapletown Rag.”
Other highlights included “Unsainted,” “The Heretic Anthem,” “Snuff” “Vermillion,” “Duality,” and many more. They treated the crowd to a dominate performance of their riff monster “Solway Firth” and closed things out later by ripping through their furious headbanger “Spit It Out.”
After the band had left the stage, “515” began blaring through the speakers. Slipknot returned and kicked off their encore with “People = Shit.” As if that wasn’t enough, they brought the arena back to where it all began with their watershed anthem “(sic).” It is arguably the keystone of Slipknot’s entire catalog, and should never be missing from their setlist.
They closed out the Knotfest night with “Surfacing.”
Slipknot had a banner year in 2021. Making a triumphant return to the road, their Knotfest Roadshow 2021 tour sold out amphitheaters across the country. It was bookended with the record-breaking Knotfest Iowa and the biggest headline show of their career, Knotfest Los Angeles at Banc of California Stadium where they debuted their first new music in two years – the furious new single “The Chapletown Rag” taken from the highly anticipated new Slipknot album. The record is expected to release this year.
In addition, they topped the bills of multiple, internationally renowned festivals including Riot Fest, Rocklahoma, Inkcarceration, Welcome To Rockville, and more.
This first leg of the 2022 Knotfest Roadshow Tour with Wage War rolls on through April 17. The second leg of the trek kicks off on May 18 with special guests Cypress Hill and Ho99o9. Tickets are on sale now HERE.
Slipknot: Live Photo Gallery
Wage War: Live Photo Gallery
