Slipknot were not on the lineup for Knotfest this year, and I heard multiple fans complaining “Why the hell would they even call it Knotfest, then?” But this festival definitely brought in the talents of Corey Taylor, vocalist of Stone Sour and Slipknot, and of course our ever-controversial lord of darkness, Marilyn Manson, along with Rob Zombie. Stone Sour was definitely not a replacement for Slipknot but they played on the main stage and performed great songs like ‘Through Glass’, ‘Get inside’ and ‘Made of Scars’ among other hits like ‘Absolute Zero’, ‘Fabuless’ and ‘Say You’ll Haunt Me’. Corey Taylor sounds different when he plays with Stone Sour and it was nice to see his real self without the face mask that he wears while performing with Slipknot.
Stone Sour photos:
Marilyn Manson performed better than before, now that he wasted less time changing costumes. He definitely created controversy when he got wheel chaired by his crew while holding a fake AR-15 Assault Rifle, performing ‘We Know Where You Fucking Live’. There was silence and I can only imagine how many people shit their pants knowing this guy’s long history of controversies and craziness. The AR-15 Assault Rifle appeared super real and Manson just proved that he is still capable of creating controversies and gather all the media frenzy even when Testament and Rob Zombie clearly stole the show otherwise. Let’s leave the gun control politics aside, but definitely no one wants to see a real-looking AR-15 pointed at them, especially if that AR-15 is in Marilyn Manson’s hand. Manson started off with ‘Revelations 12’ and went on to play all-time hits like ‘Disposable Teens’, ‘mObscene’, ‘Kill for me’, ‘The Dope Show’, ‘Deep Six’, ‘Sweet Dreams’, ‘Say10’ and finally finishing up with fan-favorite ‘The Beautiful People’. His stage prop consisted of two shotguns pointing in opposite directions, and luckily for Manson, it did not fall on him this time. Marilyn Manson managed to change costumes between songs, but it was minor changes unlike his previous shows where there was always a huge gap between songs. Mellow performance overall, stirred with tons of planned controversy like always. Manson has not put out a great album since ‘Antichrist Superstar’ but still manages to grab great spots and mesmerize audience with stage acts while playing old hits. He is one of the smartest musicians out there and he is here to stay
Marilyn Manson photos:
Rob Zombie performed perfectly as always with pretty much the same set list he plays most of the time. Zombie started with ‘Dead City Radio and the new Gods of Supertown’ with onstage performers while he was standing on a huge old school radio/cassette player. Background screen was finally turned on and visuals were just great and very colorful. Luckily, audio issues were not evident this time around at Ozzfest meets Knotfest, as there were some major blunders last year for main stage opening acts. Rob Zombie had great visuals for every single song, which makes sense because let’s not forget he is actually a very successful movie producer and director with some major hits. Rob Zombie was definitely not the heaviest metal Act on Knotfest, but it was the best one overall. He went on to play songs like ‘Superbeast’, ‘Living Dead Girl’, ‘Well, Everybody is Fucking in a UFO’ and ‘Never Gonna Stop’. There were few great additions like ‘Thunder kiss 65’, ‘Scum of the Earth’, songs that he does not always play at every show. White Zombie Era hit ‘More Human Than Human’ took all the fans back to the ’90s era where Rob Zombie’s original band White Zombie brought in a heavy metal sound that was easy on everyone’s year. John 5 is a perfect fit for Rob Zombie and he performed a lengthy guitar solo that included a medley of many old hits from multiple artists. The main set came to an end with Zombie playing a cover of Alice Cooper’s ‘School’s Out’, and he finished the show with an encore offering of ‘Dragula’. This set was an audio-visual treat and a nice way to wind up Knotfest.
The second stage acts and Nuclear Blast Extreme Stage was meant for metal acts that are the heart and soul of metal with varying commercial success. Main Stage was obviously the commercial side of Knotfest with artists that have successfully reached most continents and have molded and changed metal in a way to make commercial success possible. There was talent to be seen in pretty much every single act that performed at Knotfest. My curiosity questions who will play at Ozzfest meet Knotfest next year and if that is going to be possible in 2018. Stay thirsty, my friends.
Rob Zombie photos:
Editor’s conclusion: This year’s ‘Ozzfest Meets Knotfest’ covered the entire gamut of heavy music and gave Southern California concertgoers more than a bang for their buck. Plus, we can all agree that this event is better placed in the chill of November than in the searing summer heat. Hails to a successful 2017 edition, and let next year’s event be even bigger and better!
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