Another Evening with Slipknot

Back in November, my best friend and I went to see Slipknot and Korn in concert in Moline, Il.  (Click here for my blog post on that concert.)  I was actually supposed to see that concert with my younger daughter, but she had a scheduling conflict, so I went with my friend instead.  It was a crazy good time.  Last night, Slipknot played in my hometown, and I was able to attend that concert with my daughter, and like the concert in November, I had a blast.

Doing a concert in my hometown is great.  I know the city, so I was able to find a parking spot that was free, easy in, and easy out from the venue... no waiting for all of the other cars to leave.  In addition, we stopped at a restaurant downtown and grabbed a quick bite before hitting the concert.  Once we arrived at the venue, we saw a group of conservative, evangelical Christians picketing the concert.  I didn't thoroughly read their signs, but what I read didn't incite anger on my part.  The signs weren't full of hate and anger.  Those of you who know me, realize that I'm a Christian.  Part of me was tempted to ask the protesters if they believe that it's possible to be Christian AND attend the concert, just to find out.  In the end, I didn't, and am glad I made that choice.

We arrived at the show kind of early.  This gave me a chance to grab a beer.  My daughter also took the opportunity to buy a T-Shirt before the concert started, and we were able to get relatively close to the stage.  This worked out well, because by the time the opening act was halfway through their set, we were in the third row.  By the time Slipknot came on, my daughter had worked her way front and center, with me right behind her.  This, by the way, is the first time I've seen a band twice on the same tour, and I once again left the concert very impressed, though the reasons were somewhat different.

Don't get me wrong, the crowd was incredibly energetic (probably, in part, because Slipknot was playing in their home state), and the band was on.  But I was taken by the fact that security was constantly giving water to a very hot and thirsty crowd.  I also saw that the band did a few things differently between the concert in Moline and what they did last night.  This tells me that they don't have everything rehearsed, and that the interaction with the crowd is at least somewhat genuine.  During the concert, custom percussionist Chris Fehn (AKA #3) went through the pit, and gave my daughter a high five.  Later in the concert, Mick Thompson (AKA #7) threw out a pick, and my daughter got it.  What's really cool about this is that I got a pick from the exact same band member when I saw them in November.  What are the odds?!?

I was also impressed with the security folks in general.  They weren't Nazis, trying to crush our fun.  In addition to them constantly providing us with water, they were going out of their way to make sure that everyone in the front was safe and having fun.  There were a couple of them who were very obviously watching out for my daughter... they gave her water every time they brought it out, and they frequently checked in with her to make sure that she was okay... not getting overheated, crushed by the crowd and so forth.  After the concert was over, I made a point of thanking them for watching out for the kid, and for doing a grand job in general.

By the time the concert was over, I was physically drained, and my clothes were soaked with sweat.  I suspect I lost a couple of pounds in water weight.  But I created another lasting memory with my younger daughter.