Slipknot delivered an electrifying performance at Sonic Temple over the weekend, despite the absence of founding percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan. Frontman Corey Taylor explained during the show that Crahan had to miss the event due to complications from oral surgery.
“Obviously, we are missing one of our brothers,” said Taylor. “Clown broke a tooth yesterday and had to have it removed. There were some complications, so he had to stay home for medical reasons. But he insisted that we come here and play this show for every single one of you.”
“He is missed, he is essential, and on the count of three, I want you all to tell him how much he is loved. I want to hear you scream — one, two, three!”
The setlist for the night included:
1. “People = Shit”
2. “Eyeless”
3. “Disasterpiece”
4. “Before I Forget”
5. “Custer”
6. “Psychosocial”
7. “The Devil in I”
8. “The Heretic Anthem”
9. “Unsainted”
10. “Wait and Bleed”
11. “Vermilion”
12. “Duality”
13. “Spit It Out”
14. “Surfacing”
Looking ahead, Slipknot is working on a new single titled “Long May You Die.” They announced this on Instagram, confirming fan speculation about the song being a product of their recent recording sessions. This track will be the first to feature new drummer Eloy Casagrande and the yet-to-be-revealed replacement for Craig “133” Jones.
Casagrande shared insights into his audition process, noting that he contributed to new music as part of the test. “[The band] asked me to extend my stay by another five days so we could record some things,” he said. “I think that was also part of the audition. They threw new ideas at me to see how I would contribute to the songwriting.”
Guitarist Jim Root discussed the new material in an interview with Tone-Talk, mentioning that while the band hasn’t fully started the process, Eloy has been proactive.
“We haven’t really started working on new material yet. Eloy has sent me some drum loops. He e-mailed me a bunch of his drum videos, and I converted them into files for Pro Tools. I spent some time trying to write riffs to them.
“It was challenging because he sent me two-minute-long drum solos. I’m not great at chopping bits out to loop them, but I wrote riffs to most of it. There’s one piece that, if it becomes a song, will be incredibly chaotic, which could be really cool. So, Eloy is contributing, but we haven’t fully dived into the writing process yet. We’re focusing on these shows first, and then we’ll start the creative process in earnest.”
