Prepare For Hell
U.S. Cellular Center
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
May 10th, 2015
Slipknot, Hatebreed
Here’s a history lesson for you. May of 2000 was the first time Slipknot played to a near sold out crowd at the U.S. Cellular Center. The band returned again in 2001. In 2009, the band once again played a third nearly sold out show. Tonight, just a few days shy of the band’s 15th anniversary playing this arena, Slipknot sold out the U.S. Cellular Center.
It wouldn’t be a Slipknot concert without some religious protesters. As the line into the arena was wrapping around the block, the picketers made their way up and down First Avenue, trying in vain to save the souls of those they considered to be damned. Who are we kidding though? No one listened to the hateful and hurtful words being spread by the protesters. Being a Sunday, and Mother’s Day, we were ready for Hatebreed and Slipknot to take us to church.
As the thriving masses gathered on the main floor, the lights dimmed and Hatebreed took the stage. Being that this was a co-headlining tour, Hatebreed would be playing a full set throughout the duration of this leg of the Prepare For Hell tour.
Our journey through Hell was far from at an end though. The curtain was lowered on the main stage, and soon enough the moment we’d all been waiting for. We all knew how Northern Invasion would end, but were we really prepared for the Hell that Slipknot was about to unleash upon us?
As XIX began to play, the crowd, enveloped by the chilly dusk air, burst to life. Tens of thousands of voices raised in unison. Those singing voices turned to primal screams of delight as guitarist Jim Root played the opening chords of Sarcastrophe, and the curtain was slowly lifted. From the instant that the Nine Lords of Metal were in view, the seething crowd unleased their own Hell upon Somerset. Vocalist Corey Taylor wasted no time getting down to business and whipped the crowd into a frenzy.
Sarcastrophe turned into The Heretic Anthem, and the fires of Hell burst forth from the stage. Fan favorite Psychosocial kept the brutal momentum going as Chris Fehn and Shawn “Clown” Crahan donned their marching band harness drums. Psychosocial was followed by The Devil In I as percussionists Fehn and Crahan’s kits were raised to dizzying levels and spun around in tight circles, sampler Craig Jones’ and DJ Sid Wilson’s platforms were surrounded by blistering pyrotechnics. Wilson made his way to Crahan’s kit numerous times during the band’s set, climbing it and lunging himself off.
Taylor took a moment to address the crowd, asking if we’d like to hear more material off of the band’s latest release, .5, The Gray Chapter. As the crowd screamed and cheered their approval, the band unleashed AOV, a track only recently added to the band’s live set.
The highlight of Slipknot’s set for me though was the way that Sulfur bled seamlessly into Killpop, a track I had hoped the band would eventually be playing live. The ramp that led to either side of the center stage drum kit was bathed in flames, and the giant Devil’s head that sneered at the crowd was drown in sickening shades of green and blue light. Taylor trashed around the burning stage, screaming “Die and fucking love me” and the crowd surfers crashed against the barricades.
Taylor, not one to leave a crowd unappreciated, thanked the fans for their continued support after such a long hiatus, and was genuinely grateful for the chance to play to another sold out festival.
Before I Forget melted into Duality as the band, and the crowd, maintained their already high energy level. The traditional “Jump the fuck up” of Spit It Out was a brilliant spectacle to be a part of. As the band took a moment to catch their breathe, Taylor asked if we had enough in us for another one, then chanted duh duh duh, duh duh duh before the crowd caught on and joined him. To hear tens of thousands of voices screaming CUT, CUT, CUT, ME UP with Taylor was something that I’ll never forget, and was the perfect way to finish their set.
But the crowd refused to believe the night was over and Slipknot weren’t done with us. As the fans began to chant SLIP-KNOT, the scratching from Wilson’s DJ booth in the form of 742617000027 echoed across the amphitheater and into the bodies of all those attending heralding Slipknot back onto the stage.
The band finished brutalizing the crowd with a blistering performance of (SIC), and our beloved National Anthem, Surfacing.
-Funny-, one of the hidden tracks off of .”5, The Gray Chapter”, played as the band left the stage. Taylor thanked the overwhelming masses for their love and time, to which the crowd responded with still loud screams and cheers. Slipknot’s set list was a brilliant mixture of tracks from their lengthy catalogue. It was great to hear the band embrace their current album and play so many new tracks.
Slipknot were meant to be experienced in a setting like Northern Invasion. In fact, each band who played today was. Sitting in my car, waiting to exit the festival grounds and make my way back to Omaha was the perfect opportunity to reflect on Northern Invasion. While no stranger to the massive festival scene, Northern Invasion felt more like home than any other concert I’d attended.
Hatebreed setlist;
Intro
To the Threshold
Dead Man Breathing
Honor Never Dies
Everyone Bleeds Now
In Ashes They Shall Reap
As Diehard as They Come
This Is Now
Doomsayer
Last Breath
Betrayed by Life
Smash Your Enemies
Live for This
Perseverance
I Will Be Heard
Destroy Everything
Slipknot setlist;
XIX
Sarcastrophe
The Heretic Anthem
Psychosocial
The Devil in I
AOV
Get This
Eyeless
Vermilion
Killpop
Before I Forget
Duality
The Negative One
Spit It Out
Custer
Encore;
742617000027
(sic)
People = Shit
Surfacing
-Funny-
