Watch: SLIPKNOT Kicks Off 25th-Anniversary 'Here Comes The Pain' Tour With Old-School Set

SLIPKNOT kicked off the North American portion of the "Here Comes The Pain" tour Tuesday night (August 6) at the Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana. This year the nine are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their seminal debut album, "Slipknot", which catapulted the band back in 1999.

SLIPKNOT's 14-song set consisted of nothing but material from that LP, including two tracks which hadn't been performed in almost 25 years.

"Nothing you will hear tonight was written after 1999," SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor told the crowd at one point during the show, which opened with "(sic)", "Eyeless" and "Wait And Bleed", and included "No Life" and "Scissors", neither of which had been played live since 2000. Other rarely performed songs included "Get This" (played for the first time since 2019),"Me Inside" (first time since 2015) and "Only One" (2012).

As has been the case with all of SLIPKNOT's shows in 2024 so far, the band adopted a classic look, bringing back the 1999 red jumpsuits and elements of their early masks into their modern versions, tying into the fact that SLIPKNOT is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

The setlist was as follows:

01. (sic)
02. Eyeless
03. Wait And Bleed
04. Get This (first time since 2019)
05. Eeyore
06. Me Inside (first time since 2015)
07. Liberate
08. Purity
09. Prosthetics
10. No Life (first time since 2000)
11. Only One (first time since 2012)

Encore:

12. Spit It Out
13. Surfacing
14. Scissors (first time since 2000)

Produced by Live Nation, the "Here Comes The Pain" tour's highlights include New York City's Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles's Intuit Dome, Austin's Moody Center and more with direct support from Kentucky's young and vibrant hardcore/metal forerunners KNOCKED LOOSE. ORBIT CULTURE and VENDED are confirmed as support on select dates.

There actually was a time when SLIPKNOT and the maggots (the loving name for their fans) did not completely rule the world. 25 years ago, the Des Moines band were just some guys trying to get their new LP noticed — a record that would start their metamorphosis into the most crucial band of the 21st century. That record would change rock as we know it, measuring success with a yardstick bigger than music, one for the influence on youth culture writ large. But these faceless demons from middle America would not only capture the hearts of the youth, they would help guide their tastes, and challenge them and their kin towards a new future.

Released on June 29, 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."