Concert Review: Slipknot - Auckland - 11th March 2025

Presented By Destroy All Lines & TEG Live

Corey Taylor Slipknot 2016- Image Credit Megan Moss (Stock Image) - Click here to see full 2016 Gallery

Review By: Riccardo Ball

Artist/Band: Slipknot SUP by Northlane

Venue/City: Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand

Date of Event: Tuesday 11th March 2025

“I’m not your devil anymore” cried Slipknot front man Corey Taylor from his pulpit front and centre at Spark Arena on a balmy Tuesday night in Auckland.
It was as succinct and on point as it was possible to be from my position by the sound desk, he was no one’s devil tonight, more a High Priest of Cathartic group therapy.

Front the moment “Dream Weaver” faded from the PA speakers and the lights dimmed, the Maggots were in the thrall of what was to come. The lights went down, neon green Slipknot “S” lit up the stage and ‘742617000027’ played through the PA before everything exploded at the peak of the opening track from the self-titled album we were all here to celebrate 25 years on.
(sic) and ‘People=Shit’ followed in quick order continued the theme of the 1999 release before ‘Gematria’ broke up the run of songs off of that album.

Corey Taylor took this moment to address the sold-out Spark Arena, he pointed to his left and the Clown’s Keg Kit which stood unmanned, Shawn Crahan (Slipknot founding member) wasn’t here, he’d had to head back to the States for a family emergency and Taylor had the ‘Knot cheer for the absent icon of the Nine.

‘Wait & Bleed’ was the next track unleashed from the ’99 album and you could feel the volume from the floor crank up a notch. ‘No Life’ and ‘Yen’ were delivered back to back before Taylor extolled the virtues of the Auckland crowd’s voice and delivered “The Devil In I”. Spark Arena found its collective voice and as one belted out the anthemic chorus to the point that Taylor’s vocals were lost in the wash – truly amazing, the crowd and the band becoming one.

‘Tattered & Torn’ gave everyone respite with Sid on the decks, that breather was needed as the band launched into The Heretic Anthem; ‘Psychosocial and Unsainted’ – the equivalent of a one, two, three combo from Mark Hunt, and while the gathered faithful were still reeling from that Taylor and co delivered a coup-de-gras with ‘Duality’.
The reaction was propelled to a whole new level, ‘gangs of friends’, arms around each other roaring the choruses together in a cacophony of ‘I push my fingers into my eyes’, again the voice of the Knot army was enough to drown out the voice on the stage, truly a chorus of the damned if ever there was one.

That was one hell of a crescendo, how would Slipknot follow that? By going back to the well of the self-titled debut. Their departure from the stage was fleeting and when they returned it was with renewed intensity ripping through ‘Spit It Out & Surfacing’ before the unsung hero of the night took centre stage.

Eloy Casagrande, formerly of Sepultura now occupies the seat of Joey Jordison and he’s a more than worthy heir to that throne. He attacked the drum kit with unrelenting ferocity throughout and his drum solo in the encore was something behold.

‘Scissors’ finished the night, a song Corey Taylor said the band had never played in New Zealand before, and while it was a song for the long time Slipknot family it was a weird choice to finish on. It left me and many around me wanting more and expecting one more heretic anthem but it wasn’t to be.

Judging the mood of the twelve thousand maggots as they left Spark Arena they were satiated and Slipknot had delivered another unforgettable performance.

Slipknot AUS/NZ Knotfest/Tour Poster 2025

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