Photo By Chris Shaw
SLIPKNOT’s Here Comes The Pain Tour is here. The tour, which celebrates the heavy titans and cultural phenomenon’s 25th anniversary of seminal debut album, Slipknot, kicked off with a sold out performance in Indiana last night. The band jumped straight back to 1999 with set opener “(sic)”. Other highlights from the set list included the classic “Wait & Bleed”, “Liberate”, “Surfacing” and more. Fans have been rabidly awaiting what songs the band would play, with no info posted by the band in advance. Last night’s capacity crowd, and the internet’s reaction immediately after, signalled that fans were ecstatic and that these would be shows to remember, a modern Slipknot tour unlike any other.
Slipknot’s Here Comes The Pain Tour, produced by Live Nation, includes arena plays nationwide this Summer, followed by global performances across arenas later this year and throughout 2025. Highlights include New York City’s Madison Square Garden, two back to back nights at Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome, Austin’s Moody Center, a special homecoming performance at Knotfest Iowa and more. Knocked Loose, Orbit Culture and Vended are confirmed as support on select dates. Tickets are on sale now. See below for more info and a full list of dates.
Released on June 29th, 1999, Slipknot’s self-titled debut was a smash hit with critics and an instant classic with fans. It was, and is, a molotov cocktail signaling a revolution– embracing a creative direction that eschewed metal traditions in favor of fresh ideas. While the jaw-clenching riffs coupled with Ross Robinson’s venomous production were crucial to the album’s success, it was the care and attention to detail in the songcraft that moved the needle from “great” to “benchmark.” Not too shabby for a bunch of guys that only hoped to be heard.
“We loved what we did with the first record but we didn’t even know if there was gonna be anything after that,” recalls guitarist Jim Root. “We just wanted people to hear it. Selling out of records and shows, having successful tours– those are goals for any band. But the dream scenario in some ways, came true for us.”
In the years following, Slipknot’s popularity nipped at the heels of elder statesmen and even the band’s heroes, eventually navigating this brave new world with unending drive, fresh ideas and a bloodlust for odometer clicks. Tens of billions of streams and tens of millions of subscribers and followers later, the accolades tell the story: 64 award nominations and 27 wins including a Grammy for “Before I Forget“ from Vol. 3. A seemingly endless number of tour dates. Headlining slots at some of the biggest festivals in the world such as Download, Rock In Rio, Hellfest, Wacken and many more. Not to mention RIAA certifications by the truckload– 14 platinum certifications and 40 gold across more than 30 million in record and video sales.
In addition, Slipknot positioned themselves for success with the creation of their own festival Knotfest in 2012, a traveling, multi-stage and experiential event that has appeared 28 times across several countries and locations. The festival has since spun off into a successful entertainment media hub – Knotfest.com, which became a juggernaut of its own making, giving a platform to young freethinkers and like-minded artists.
All of Slipknot’s achievements have helped them claim their rightful seat as pioneers and thought leaders, establishing them as a generational talent– loved by parents AND their children alike. And of course with all those incredible live performances, all that influence, and all that history of playing all those incredible SONGS, Slipknot has only attracted the most dedicated of fans, reaching all the way back to that fateful self-titled effort.
Slipknot is approaching this 25th anniversary by making the conscious decision to connect to fans as closely as possible, in a similar way to how they encountered Slipknot all those years ago. “Every time I’ve walked on stage, it’s never been about how many people have been there because my culture, the maggots, always show up,” says founding member Shawn “clown” Crahan with a smile.
“But as we’ve grown as a band, we have had fewer and fewer of those intimate, personal moments, trading them for massive ones. So we’re gonna make it more personal on the anniversary, but how remains to be seen. Just get ready to have your face kicked in. Because we just do what we do, spread that maggot culture – that disease. And you’ve been infected.”
SLIPKNOT LIVE DATES 2024:
Aug 07: Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake *
Aug 09: Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena *
Aug 10: Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion *
Aug 12: New York, NY – Madison Square Garden *
Aug 14: Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion *
Aug 15: Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center *
Aug 17: Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena *
Sep 01: Pryor, OK – ROCKLAHOMA
Sep 07: Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre #
Sep 08: Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Styles Resorts Amphitheater #
Sep 11: Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater #
Sep 13: Inglewood, CA – Intuit Dome #
Sep 14: Inglewood, CA – Intuit Dome #
Sep 15: Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre #
Sep 17: Austin, TX – Moody Center #
Sep 18: Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion #
Sep 21: Des Moines, IA – Knotfest Iowa at Waterworks Park #
Sep 26: Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life Festival
Oct 11: Sacramento, CA – Aftershock Festival
Oct 19: São Paulo, BR – Knotfest Brasil
Nov 08: Guadalajara, MX – Calle 2
Nov 09: Mexico City, MX – Parque Bicentenario
Dec 05: Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
Dec 06: Dortmund, DE – Westfalehallen
Dec 08: Stuttgart, DE – Schleyerhalle
Dec 09: Leipzig, DE – Quarterback Immobilien Arena
Dec 11: Zürich, CH – Hallenstadion
Dec 12: Paris, FR – Accor Arena
Dec 14: Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena
Dec 15: Glasgow, UK – Ovo Hydro
Dec 17: Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Dec 18: Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Dec 20: London, UK – The O2
Dec 21: London, UK – The O2
* w/ Special Guests Knocked Loose and Orbit Culture
# w/ Special Guests Knocked Loose and Vended
2025
Jun 06 – Jun 8: Nurburg, DE – Rock Am Ring
Jun 06 – Jun 8: Nuremberg, DE – Rock Im Park
Jun 12 – Jun 14: Nickelsdorf, AT – NovaRock