It was the first time I travelled to Luxembourg for a concert and I can say that I didn’t expect to leave with such a good impression. The occasion was Slipknot’s one-off appearance between dates on which they were scheduled to play at Europe’s biggest festivals. The concert was sold out 3 days earlier so I expected something big to happen.

We set off from Kirchberg, an area where the headquarters of most Luxembourg companies are housed, heading towards Belval, where the concert venue, Rockhal, is located. The traffic on the road was very heavy, so we arrived much later than we had anticipated. It was a Wednesday, rush hour, where too many cars were heading to Belval for the concert but at the same time a lot of people were getting home from their jobs and maybe going back to France.

It is very common to have a large flow in and out of the country on a daily basis. This as it turned out was the main reason why all the tickets for the concert were sold. When we finally got to the venue you could see in the queue that most of the people who were there had travelled from all the countries bordering the country, French, German, Belgian etc. Also, another thing that was notable was that the concert had attracted a very diverse crowd such as, Punks, Black Metallers, Hip-Hoppers, parents with their kids, to people who had gone there straight from the office wearing white shirts. But everyone was there for the same band, Slipknot.

The event was held in Rockhal’s largest indoor venue, which could more easily be described as an arena than a regular indoor concert venue. Being sold-out, 6.5 thousand tickets had been bought. Gates opened at 6:30pm, space slowly began to fill up but not completely, as many chose to hang out at the venue’s outdoor bars and canteens.

At 19:45 exactly, the Americans “Nothing More” took the stage, who opened the concert. The band immediately showed what they know how to do well. Jonny Hawkins came out characteristically barefoot and with red body paint. The band had great interaction with the crowd, amazing players. The one that took my impression though, was Daniel Oliver, whose opium bass didn’t go unnoticed, it reminded me of a saw.

One thing I like about the genre that “Nothing More play”, even though metalcore in general is not my cup of tea, is how cool the bassists play. Other than that, the band had great energy on stage, everyone was flawless. The frontman stole the show when he played with the acoustic drums that were set up.

They played a total of 10 songs, closing with their most famous song, “This is the Time (Ballast)”

People started to make their way out to the outside bars, as Slipknot wouldn’t be performing for at least 45 minutes. I was super excited as the moment approached when I would finally get to see one of the bands I loved as a teenager for the first time.

15 minutes before the start we were called by the production, all the photographers were asked to meet next to the photopit. While we were waiting, the stage was covered by the huge curtain with the band’s logo.

Just as it was 9:15pm a big firecracker went off, the curtain fell and the paranoia started. 1st track: “The Blister Exists”, endless headbanging in the first few rows, a huge circle pit spinning incessantly in the centre, fans in masks, chaos.

As people kept arriving crowd-surfing to the photo-pit, I was simultaneously gawking at the show the band was putting on on stage. All the members on the upper stage platform didn’t stop running back and forth. Just as you could see one of them climbing one of the two barrel towers, Sid Wilson appears out of nowhere with a decapitated “head” in his hand.

The 3 up front, Corey Taylor, Mick Thomson and James Root, were exactly what I had only seen on video in my life up to that point. No matter what you say, they are now legends in the new era of 90s metal. Thankfully, the member absentees weren’t noticeable at all, though I wish I had gotten to see them with Craig Jones.

At one point in the show Corey told the crowd that he had a discomfort in his throat and asked them to help him with the vocals. All in all, he didn’t stop for any reason. His performance was 100% until the end. I hope it was nothing serious. Then, between “People=Shit” and “Surfacing”, he made a remark at a spot in the audience where there was a fallen person from the mosh-pit and strongly requested for help to intervene.

The follow up to the end was stormy, there was the typical game with the crowd and the “Jump da f*ck up” in “Spit it Out” where 6.5 thousand squatted until the signal was given to jump all together. Spit it out ended the show, the band thanked the crowd and promised to play there again soon.

The venue, sound, lights, all the effects were incredible. The only downside was that at the departure of so many people, exits were only used from one part of the building. In conclusion, what Slipknot deserves respect is that no matter how many people are at a Slipknot show, everyone individually feels the energy of the band. The band/fans set is a unique experience that no matter how much one listens to the band, it’s truly worth it. Imagine how a fan would feel who was either seeing them for the first time or has been following them for years.

Review and Photos: Sotiris Zikas