We have a whole section of the site where we spotlight Celebrity Metalheads, but this story is in reverse. It's a metalhead giving props to a pop celebrity. It's the story of how Slipknot guitarist Jim Root fancies himself a fan of pop star Ariana Grande.
Root apparently heard one of her tracks and was taken aback by it. He tells Ireland’s Joe:
“One of the girls at our management company was listening to some Ariana Grande, and I didn’t know that that’s what she was listening to. I was like, ‘What is that? That’s awesome! That’s got, like, a VIBE to it, you know?’ She told me what it was, and I was kind of mind-blown.”
It does have a vibe to it, I do know, Jim. Ariana is one of the few pop stars I enjoy listening to. And, she can actually sing, which is always a nice plus. And her songs work as death metal covers too.
Root has always had an appreciation for lighter rock fare, as he is an avid fan of bands like Radiohead and Pink Floyd. The dude has quite a wide musical palette.
Slipknot are currently out on tour in Europe with Behemoth. Here are the remaining dates:
01/24 Birmingham, UK – Birmingham Arena [Tickets]
01/25 London, UK – The O2 [Tickets]
01/28 Amsterdam, NET – Ziggo Dome [Tickets]
01/29 Frankfurt, GER – Festhalle [Tickets]
01/30 Paris, FRA – Accorhotels Arena [Tickets]
02/01 Luxembourg, LUX – Rockhal [Tickets]
02/02 Lyon, FRA – Halle Tony Garnier [Tickets]
02/04 Budapest, HUN – Budapest Sportarena [Tickets]
02/06 Lodz, POL – Atlas Arena [Tickets]
02/08 Stuttgart, GER – Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle [Tickets]
02/09 Munich, GER – Olympiahalle [Tickets]
02/11 Milan, ITA – Mediolanum Forum [Tickets]
02/12 Zurich, SWI – Hallenstadion [Tickets]
02/14 Vienna, AUT – Stadthalle [Tickets]
02/16 Hamburg, GER – Barclaycard Arena [Tickets]
02/17 Berlin, GER – Mercedes-Benz Arena [Tickets]
02/18 Dortmund, GER – Westfalenhalle [Tickets]
02/20 Copenhagen, DEN – Royal Arena [Tickets]
02/21 Stockholm, SWE – Ericsson Globe [Tickets]
02/22 Oslo, NOR – Telenor Arena [Tickets]
02/24 Helsinki, FIN – Hartwall Arena [Tickets]
Other scheduled Slipknot shows in 2020:
03/20 – Tokyo, Japan – Knotfest [Tickets]
03/21 – Tokyo, Japan – Knotfest [Tickets]
03/24 – Singapore – Singapore Rock Fest [Tickets]
03/27 – Jakarta, Indonesia – Hammersonic Festival [Tickets]
03/29 – Manila, Philippines – Amoranto Stadium [Tickets]
05/16 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple Festival [Tickets]
07/18 – Oshkosh, WI – Rock USA Festival [Tickets]