The Different Drummer

That Brand New Arena Smell

The Intuit Dome says in its advertising that “Fandom Lives Here.” I put that promise to the test with Slipknot’s “Here Comes The Pain” tour.

“What the f*ck is different?”

– Slipknot, “Prosthetics”

Outside of their appearance at the 2001 edition of Ozzfest, I had never had a chance to see Slipknot. A slot on a festival stage playing before Marilyn Manson and Black Sabbath gave a good indication of what the band sounded like live but did not allow me to see the full spectacle they are known for. I, therefore, jumped at the chance to see them during my birthday weekend for a stop on their tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their self-titled first album. The fact that they were playing at the recently opened Intuit Dome heightened my interest.

I first saw the Intuit Dome under construction while sitting in traffic on the way to see Billy Joel at SoFi Stadium last year. The immediate thought that crossed my mind was “This area cannot handle the existing influx of people, how is it going to handle 20,000 more?” Even when it was just the Forum, the neighboring streets did not have the proper capacity, especially since the area is many…