Korn and Slipknot PREPARE FOR HELL!!!

Hello everyone!
This Thursday one (well, two I assume xD) of my dreams did come truth!
I have seen two of my most favourite bands - live and hopefully alive xD
(I love so many bands but them and System of a down where there from the "beginning")

After I have found out they are about to play in Liverpool I could not resist and had to go!
Even if that meant alone but lucky enough my very own boss friend went with me.
It was a gift - from me to me - for my birthday and I could not be happier!
Or could I?

Some back story for Slipknot and Korn ...

When I was punk we had been in a group of friends with metalheads. (Because I am from a small village and if you did not play well with the other kids you would not play at all xD )

So, when I was about 13 (when you live in a village in Moravia you can "grow up" pretty fast) my cousin gave me Steal this album by System of a down. (Of course it was "stolen" from the internet xD)

And this is how it all started ...

(Btw, they have called my System for a very long time and I am not even ashamed!!! :D)

I guess I was watching some music channel on the TV and there it was - KORN Falling away from me. At the time I did not speak English very well if at all so I could not understand what it all was about but I loved the music. After some search and after I asked my friends I have got all the albums by them and immersed myself in the music this crazy people played - and I loved it!

And then, thru a small shortcut I got my hands on Slipknot´s work and was amazed by the sound and ingeniousness of these allien-looks-alike musicians. I am sure this love-at-first-listen started before this moment but the first time I can recall myself watching a music video by Slipknot was with song Left behind and there was nothing to dislike - music was just fabulous and in a very creepy way comforting. I did not care how they dressed up and if I did I probably found it inspiring and unique.

I wanted to see them for ages!

And it did happen this year - and hopefully will happen soon again.

Now, lets move on to the past and reflect upon this glorious and up-lifting moment that ended too soon - in my opinion :)

Me and my friends had a meet up in a local pub at around 5 pm. We did enjoy drinks before we had to make a move in a direction of the town and Echo arena.

When we got there it was something like 7:30 pm I guess. There were not lots of people outside but what there was were people trying to sell over-priced tickets and maybe some kidneys. xD

We got inside without any problems and they did not search us as if we were criminals. Althought I have heard that people could not wear masks for the gig - but I can get that point who knows how many deaths would occure if people were wearing spikes and headbang xD (still better than what I have heard about the rules to get to Gackt´s concert where you could not wear high heels xD)

Our seats were not the best but we could see everything and hear everything. And it is also good to know that you won´t lose your clothes and bags - well, it is less unlikely you would when you have seated tickets xD

When we got there the first band, King 810, were already finished which is a pity but I can not do anything about it now. At the moment, all we had to do was wait and hope we won´t bleed.

When they have started it was dreamy - I thought I would die before seeing them but I did not and this whole moment was just surrealist.

This is theirs setlist:

Intro

Twist

Here to Stay

Right now

Love&Meth

Falling away from me

Good God

Hater

Shoots and Ladders

Got the life

Freak on a leash

Blind

(information from setlist.fm)

Korn did sound just fucking amazing!

All the bass lines were smooth as silk, crazy guitar riffs that were performed with utmost skills by freakishly talented guitarists, emotional screams&shouts and sweet melodies of one of the most energetic singers and lets not forget about the beating heart of the band - the drummer!

It was just perfect!

All notes were audible and the bass - oh god the bass - was just killing me!
(I have a small obsession about the bass guitars - if by small you understand big as hell xD)

There was few mistakes while the guitarist were playing - it is good to have distortion on your effects unit! xD And drums were slightly off beat - but just once I think.

I have to explain this - I LOVE WHEN THEY MAKE MISTAKES!!!

It means they do not play on play-back - well, not as much as they could have played xD

There were two big problems I could not deal with ...

The crowd ... I do not know, it seemed like most of them came to see Slipknot and did not want to get engaged. They were mostly silent and sitting. (not me and my friend, we said they should copy us and let us in the first rows so we would rock the whole hall - well, this did not happen ... )

And the second problem was that they played for such a short time ....

I know they were not the main act but I just could not get enough of this perfection!

Korn were lively, engaging (at least in my case) and just boss! (as they say in Liverpool)

One funny point about Raymond Lee Luzier (Mr Drummer) - he tried, so many times, to throw his sticks up in the air and catch them - well, it was not successfull at all xD

If anything, it was cute and I like his dedication xD

Because I have never listened to Korn´s newer songs I could not really enjoy Love&Meth, Good God and Hater but this did not stop me from headbanging and being a little bit crazy (by that I mean a lot of crazy and singing everything and screaming - I actually think my friend next to me must be death now cause my voice got into higher registers xD)

My most favourite songs were Falling away from me, Got the life, Freak on the leash and Blind.

Oldschool I guess xD

But all the songs very rocking my socks off so I am giving Korn 10/10 points!!!! <3

And here, lets have some video from the event to prove you how fucking amazing Korn were/are!

(video by WooseTheBassist at youtube.com)

I just love the energy they give out on the stage - I have to see Korn again! :)

And now, lets move on to the main band - Slipknot!

To tell you the truth I have not listened to their new album either xD

I did hear The Devil in I and Negative One but that was about it xD

(I just listened to other songs on 5: the Gray chapter and I must say that most of the songs do not feel like Slipknot ... I do not know why and I am not gonna say it is because of the new drummer and bassist because it might not be - they just changed their style of music and that is evolution but I do not have to like it xD)

Of course I did know they have new members - drummer and bassist.

I can not say that I was happy about it but there is nothing I can do so ...

Number two is missed and it is all a sad story but I always loved Number one so I missed him very much - as almost every other fan did. 

That does not mean the new members are bad - not at all!

They did hit all the right notes and fit in well - although the drummer is a band´s baby xD

And this is Slipknot´s playlist

XIX

Sarcastrophe

The Heretic Anthem

My Plague

The Devil in I

Psychosocial

The negative one

Disasterpiece

Opium of the People

Dead memories

Before I forget

Duality

The blister exists

Spit it out

Custer

Encore:

742617000027

(sic)

People = shit

Surfacing

-Funny-

´Til we die

(informations from setlist.fm)

Well, from the first second they have started to play it felt completely different than Korn.

Of course, the music is utterly different and blah blah, I know.

BUT! After the smoothies in Korn Slipknot just sounded kind of trashy ...

First song was nothing but cymbals and few beats.

I know, Slipknot do have one bonkersly fast drummer and two crazy percussionists but I could not hear the guitars, bass and all the others ... Which was a pity, really ...

During the gig it got better but still it spoilt it a lot.

The energy was heavy. I loved this gig but was disappointed with Slipknot.

I probably expected too much. Wanted them to be perfect and match Korn from before ...

On the other hand, it was sick crazy party!

Visuals were catchy - although, as I said to my friend, some of the effects did look like Christmas lights! xD

All the flames warmed up the hall - I can not imagine how to poor baby-drummer survived with his mask on and flames all around xD

Their performance was more bangy than Korn´s.

I still love Corey. His voice was piercingly sweet at times with all the heavy (and trashy) music at the background.

The funny thing is that some of the members seemed to take it seriously - I would guess that is their way of making it even more obscure xD

Some band members seemed like they have nothing better to do than to run and jump around xD

Especially Number Zero had lots of free time to run around - I was surprised he did not, accidently, kill himself - or at least break his leg xD

I have not seen enough of Number Five which is a pity - I really like his mask xD

Jay Weinberg was lost in the middle of the drum kit and all you could register of his existence was just fast drumming that I think was perfect.

And of course, all the other band members were amazing and active and talented.

It is just... I do not know - I probably did expect some fucking more from them.

Because I did not listen to the whole Gray chapter I did not know most of the songs from the beginning. And we were all waiting for Wait and Bleed which never happened. I was also hoping for Vermillion - I do not know why xD

With People = shit it took me long time to recognize what they were playing.

For Custer we changed lyrics into yummy yummy xD

Songs I absolutely loved were The Devil in I, Psychosocial, Opium of the people, Before I forget, Duality, Spit it out.

I also thought they would play longer. And that people would stay and shout that they want more. But it never happened. So we finished before I thought we would.

At the end - they were fantastic as well, but for some minor problems I have to give them just 8/10 and hope to see them again.

I am sure they are worth seeing - more than once! 

And here is some video of Slipknot performing Devil in I in Liverpool :)

(video again by Woosethebassist at youtube.com)

Ok, and now just some random facts - or facts that I did forget to mention xD

• there was a eight-years-old kid sitting behind us and he was boss! :D
• first time I have ever seen a queue outside men bathrooms xD
• Korn did actually notice that the crowd is quite - and said it out loud
• Slipknot had the biggest reactional shouts after they said they thought it can not get better than Manchester - you should hear all the people booing at the mention of Manchester xD
• my theory - Korn did actually notice people are annoyingly quite and said so. Then Slipknot started playing and because they were too loud all the noises echoed back at them so they did not complain the crowd is quite. (puns - it is Echo arena so everything Echoes xD and Slipknot were a little bit trashy and hell  lot loud so ... the crowd could be silent and they would still assume they are loud xD) - and, well -Slipknot are narcissistic because they were complimenting the loudness of the crowd xD
• Number Six was actually trying to destroy the control pannels of the sound system technician xD
• "It is good to put a price tag on your children!" After we left the arena there were two kids, very young, I would guess something like 7 and 9 years old. They had oldschool Slipknot´s outfits - the orange ones that have bar codes at the back of it. It was cuuuute xD
• the sad reason why my neck hurts is (shame on me, shame on me) not because of the concert but because of the Krazy house afterwards.
• the name of the tour is Prepare for Hell - it did not help when we got to the Krazy house! The bar stuff was so slow that some people almost died due to dehydration xD (did not help but you have tried to warn us, thank you, Slipknot! :D )
• When Slipknot played Duality I thought my friend is taking an audio of it so I was singing like crazy with her "All I´ve got ... All I´ve got is insane!!" xD
  Found out, just today when I was asking if she can send it to me, that it was a phonecall to one of her mates! And I am a phone-calls phobe! :D AAAAAAA

I hope I did not miss on anything important

Have you been at any of theirs gigs?

What did you think?

Did you love it?

Would you like more?

Did something funny happen when you were there?

If so please share your opinion/experience/thoughts/feelings! :)

I hope to see them again :)

And now, I hope you had a lovely weekend and chill out! :)

And I am really sorry for swearing ... well ... not really xD

Bye guys!!

Murasaki