Slipknot has played over 1,300 shows over the course of their two-plus decades as a band. Though according to percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan, that number might start to slow down.
In an interview with Kerrang!, Clown said Slipknot will be slowing down their touring over the years for the sake of their own longevity. Which makes sense – the dudes in Slipknot aren't getting any younger, and touring isn't getting any easier (or less expensive).
"The only god we've ever known is to get on the road, play our music and tour. I always wanted that salvation in my day. Growing up in an alcoholic family, music was the gift that helped me get out. But I can promise you that we won't tour like we used to, because if we keep pushing like we used to, I don't think we'll be able to keep up."
But don't worry! Less touring means hopefully more time for special one-off Slipknot shows. If Clown gets his way, Slipknot will be doing more full-album performances with period-specific props and costumes. That, and they'll hopefully be playing some places they've never played before!
"I can see smaller venues, with more dates. Wouldn't it be great if we had seven days in New York City or London or anywhere, at a reasonably sized venue, and played every album in its entirety – with intros, outfits, production and everything from that time period? That could be cool. There are some songs we've never played live. Places we've never been. That's unacceptable!"
Clown's vision of the future of Slipknot has been pretty clear as of late. In a separate interview with NME last year, Clown also laid out how albums might be a thing of the past and how Slipknot could just focus on shorter releases.
"I always thought, 'What would it be like if Slipknot was big enough that we weren't held to albums?' Let's say Clown could convince you, 'Hey, instead of waiting two years for 12 songs, I'm gonna give you one song every month.' So in reality, I'm shaving a year off for the same thing.
"You have to go with me on this journey, but what I promise you is, there's artwork that goes with it, there's utility that goes with it, it's cheaper than what a normal individual song would be… And it's gone through all the filters — it's gone through the band, it's gone through [singer] Corey Taylor, it's gone through a professional mixer and masterer — no avenues have been chopped up, it's all business as usual. And we want to do this because I think it's time for you, our fans, to get everything."
