Two Australian Slipknot Sets Paused After Fans Climb On Speaker Towers

Slipknot shows are always pretty crazy, but I’m sure the nonet didn’t expect two different punters climbing up a speaker tower during their sets at Knotfest in Melbourne and Brisbane. Dedication to the best seat in the house, right?

One keen fan sat on top of the speaker tower in Melbourne last week (Friday, 24 March) for many songs - one attendee said that the punter was up there for 20 minutes, while NME reports that it wasn’t until The Heretic Anthem, the ninth song in Slipknot’s set, that security noticed someone was up there and likely unsafe.

“Hi Knotfest, we’ve stopped the show because there’s people up in the air,” a festival organiser said over the PA once the song was over. “Anybody that’s up in a tower needs to get down, or the show will not commence until you’re down.”

Two days later, at Knotfest in Brisbane (Sunday, 26 March), another punter climbed up the speaker tower during Slipknot’s set.

In Melbourne, lead vocalist Corey Taylor quipped, “I can’t take you crazy motherfuckers anywhere, man, Jesus Christ!”

He continued with a chuckle and enthusiasm that made the audience roar, “Got you climbing on shit, jumping off shit, rolling on shit — what the fuck? That’s fine; I can’t stay mad at you. 

"This is by far one of my favourite fucking countries in the entire fucking world. I mean that. You guys helped put us where we are, and we have never forgotten that, god damn it, so thank you so fucking much.”

The first-ever Knotfest Australia dates were resoundingly successful and showcased that metal music is alive and well in this country. Kill Your Stereo reviewer Tim Price wrote about the headliner’s set: “Blasting through tracks that spanned their entire career, this was an experience far more than simply a festival set. 

"The maniacal bashing of beer kegs with flaming baseball bats, the slithering of members of the band over the separate levels of the set, the masks, the pyro, the theatricality of it, Corey Taylor’s purposeful hyping of the crowd that was so intent on the inclusion of everyone into the Slipknot family and more. 

“This show demonstrated exactly why this band has longevity and can have a festival in their name. This is a band that inspires. From the fans right through to the other bands chosen for this lineup - they are the goal, the milestone, and the ones to match.” Check out our full review here.