Live: Knotfest Roadshow in Noblesville

When Slipknot released “All Out Life” last Fall, there was no looking back. Then in April this year, the single was made a theme for WWE NXT and they released “Unsainted” shortly after, quickly followed by the announcement of the Knotfest Roadshow- a summer tour with Volbeat, Gojira and Behemoth. That tour recently hit Noblesville’s Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center for a night of pure intensity and aggression.  Behemoth got the night started very early with a set that, while short, included almost every production effect they have in their arsenal. Smoke, fire, the Satanic/sacreligious Pope hat and spitting blood on the crowd were all present and met with roars of excitement and approval from the crowd. From start to conclusion, Behemoth’s set was pure adrenaline and was everything you could have wanted from the band.  After Gojira wrapped up a blistering set, Volbeat took over for a change of pace. From the second the tour was announced in the Spring, people were wondering why they were on the bill- not because people didn’t want to see them, because they did- but because they literally sound nothing like anyone else on the lineup.  Nonetheless, the crowd absolutely loved their performance, which was also the first time Volbeat had ever played Ruoff. Frontman Michael Poulsen joked with the crowd, poking fun at the fact that they didn’t completely fit in. “Do you wanna hear a rock and roll song or a fucking heavy song?,” he asked the crowd. When they screamed that they wanted the fucking heavy song, he laughed. Goddamnit, we don’t have any heavy songs! Here’s a rock and roll song.”  He also started playing the intro to Slayer’s “Raining Blood,” but stopped, joking with the crowd that they wished they’d play it. As he looked down at the crowd, he commented “What happened? Did Behemoth do this to you?,” referring to the blood they were covered in. Whether it was “Sad Man’s Tongue,” “Still Counting,” “Slaytan” or “Black Rose,” the crowd gave Volbeat the same love they gave Slipknot and made sure Volbeat knew the fans wanted them to come back again.  Not long after, the curtain went up and Slipknot began setting up. Leading up to the show, there had been reports of extreme crowds at the Knotfest dates that had already happened- with Corey Taylor stopping one show because fans were getting trampled in the pit; At that same show, fans in the Lawn had been lighting shirts on fire and throwing fireballs; At the Tinley Park date, just days before Noblesville, it had been reported that one or two fans had died after the pit got too crazy (our condolences to those friends and family members). Needless to say, the security was heavier at this show but things didn’t get too out of control but it was still exactly what you think about when you think of a Slipknot show.  They had a completely new stage setup, with LED video screens covering everything, including Clown and Tortilla’s side drums and giant screens hanging above the stage. Sid Wilson also had a treadmill reminiscent of Rammstein’s keyboard treadmill, making for one hell of a visual. Setlist-wise, this was one of the heaviest Slipknot shows in over a decade. They opened with “People=Shit,” “(sic)” and “Get This” and threw “Unsainted” and “The Heretic Anthem” and threw in “Prosthetics” and more of their heavier arsenal, making for a fun experience for the fans.  There was so much going on between the stage and the crowd that it was almost overwhelming and made so everyone got their money’s worth. If you haven’t seen Slipknot on the We Are Not Your Kind cycle yet, you have plenty of time between the Knotfest Roadshow tour, festival dates and everything else coming up between now and the end of 2020.  -Reggie Edwards