As some experts predict large gatherings over 100 people are not going to happen until at least fall 2021, could Slipknot be planning some more intimate gatherings?
Right now, there is a ton of uncertainty in the world, and live entertainment is a big part of that uncertainty. As we are still waiting on testing for COVID-19 on a mass scale, and many places in the country and world seeing their numbers of cases rise, it seems like the process to get back to some semblance of normal in society will be a slow and steady one. Slipknot still haven't technically canceled their large summer tour, but it seems all but a formality, as most parts of the country will not reopen large venues this summer.
But what about when things do start getting back to normal, and we see parts of the country slowly being opened up. Could this be a unique opportunity for Slipknot?
Frontman Corey Taylor and his wife, dancer and creative director of The Cherry Bombs, Alicia Dove, were recently interviewed by Rock Feed from their home. One thing Taylor made clear from the interview is that "No matter what, we are going to finish the tour cycle. We are just trying to make the best of the situation." So the band will eventually fulfill all the dates they had planned.
Taylor was asked how he saw things restarting for live entertainment.
"It all depends on how we open this back up. You almost have to attribute it to the way casinos are opened [in Las Vegas], with a soft opening. They basically do an opening before the grand opening and people wander through and it's not packed, it's not huge. It's just seeing what people are going to be into and seeing if they are into what's being provided.
He continued "That's basically what they're going to do with this industry. There's going to be a soft opening. There are going to be handful of acts. They are going to be the litmus test to see what the world is ready for. It will probably be in smaller venues. Because people will be fucking scared, man. Or, maybe outdoor venues, where people don't feel like they're confined. They don't feel like they're too stuck together. There's going to be a sense of paranoia for a while, even after there is a medicine developed, or a vaccine.
He continued "So it's going to take time. There will be some acts that have to fall on the sword. If we do it right, and build that enthusiasm, probably within a year, maybe a year and a half, we'll see the same enthusiasm for live shows that we did before. Because, I think that once people realize everything is going to be okay, people are going to realize that they take for granted that they haven't been to a live show in a long time, and the live concert experience will be something they come back to. They'll be tired of watching it on Youtube, watching it on their phone. They're going to want to be in the experience. I think there will be a real renaissance of live entertainment."
Taylor, and Alicia Dove, both warned that you don't want to start it prematurely, so that the amount of people infected climbs up.
Taylor adds "I think the priorities should be about worrying about the businesses that effect the economy the fasts, and then worry about the live. We're going to adapt and find ways to entertain people, even in a weird situation like this. However, when it comes to, not so much retail, but food service, health service, that stuff, we need to start from the ground up and really help them."
When Rock Feed suggests that larger venues will be the last to open, but smaller gatherings of 100, 150 people will be more viable to open up first. When asked if Slipknot could see themselves as nine lunatics on a small stage, playing more intimate venues, Taylor quipped "You just made my back hurt."
"I don't know, maybe. It helps when it's a room that long, where we can get all of our crap in. We have so much crap now, we'd have to go to Guitar Center and start finding shit – like 'Clown, you take that kit and Frankenstein it. We'll just put it in there. No, you can't shit on it! [laughs].' It'd be funny, it'd be insane.
"We've actually talked about doing something like that for years, and doing a throwback show. And doing a throwback show in a way where we wear the old gear as well. But that's… I mean, I don't know, few and far between. We'd have to make sure that we could do it in a safe way, obviously. Not just from a coronavirus standpoint, I mean that would be IN – SANITY. But, we'll see. It would be insane."
We all agree seeing a band the level of Slipknot once again get their asses in a tiny club would be absolute madness, and the demand, even with most people wary of leaving their house, would likely be through the roof.
But nothing seems definite at this point. You can certainly get a taste of how crazy these shows would be with the recent intimate BBC studio sessions the band recorded.
What is a definite is that Dove's group, The Cherry Bombs are releasing the second season of their show, Girl Gang, on their Youtube channel next month.
Watch the full Rock Feed interview below:
