When Lars Ulrich couldn't perform with Metallica at Download in 2004, drummers Joey Jordison of Slipknot and Dave Lombardo of Slayer stepped in. Lombardo performed the first two songs, Ulrich's drum tech Flemming Larsen performed one, and Jordison performed the remaining nine. In an interview with Knotfest, Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor reflected on Jordison's performance and how impressed the whole band was with him.
"We were back there with [Joey], watching it… It was so surreal to watch Joey playing with [Metallica], because we all grew up listening to them. And Joey was shitting bricks. I mean, he [had] his mask on, but every time he'd come back and he would pull his mask off, he would just be, like, 'How am I doing? How am I doing?' I'm, like, 'You're fucking killing it.'
"Me, Paul, Clown, we were all standing there fucking cheering him on. And they ended up throwing different songs at him that they hadn't rehearsed. They threw all the Misfits shit at him, and he fucking knew it. They would have probably kept him up there all night if they could have. He played the majority of the set.
"That, to me, was such a fucking amazing moment for him that it was cool to be back there sharing that with him. It was a special little fucking — almost like that's the moment you know you've made it. You're seeing this reflection of respect from arguably your biggest influence, your biggest peer. Them signing off on you like that had to have been fucking massive for him. And I remember him telling me it was such a blur that he didn't really remember anything until he watched the video back. And he's right — that shit can go by [very quickly] because you're so fucking into it…
"I don't know if they expected it, but he fucking went in there and he showed not only the band but all of their fans — not only the level of respect that we have for them and the music but that we can hold our own. And I think that was a big moment. It was a big part of that."
