Rock Mammoth Slipknot First Played This Iconic Song in Kennewick

Slipknot first played one of their most popular songs in Kennewick, Washington.

I spent the early years of my life in Iowa, having moved from American Samoa to the Hawkeye State in 1999 at the age of six. Right around that same time, an upstart metal band had just dropped their self-titled debut album. Armed with masks, trashcans, and the musical genius of nine members, Slipknot created a sound that helped define an entire decade. You could argue that Slipknot was as influential in the early 2000s as Linkin Park.

I remember being confused as a grade school kid when I went to a high school basketball game in small-town Guthrie Center, where a bunch of high school kids were wearing red jumpsuits with a big logo on the back that represented a pentagram. I eventually figured it out after I moved away.

I grew up in a religious family, so religious that I often would mislabel my burned CDs to throw them off my "Satanic music" trail. I went to a religious school and my friend group was filled with metal enthusiasts, primarily Slipknot. I'll never forget the first time I heard "Before I Forget," from their third album Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses.) The hook was infectious and the production quality was flawless, so it's no surprise that the song and album won the band numerous awards, including a Grammy.

When I was in high school, my music tastes continued to evolve and get heavier in some areas. So, when 97 Rock started playing commercials for a Slipknot show coming to Toyota Center in 2009, you bet I was praying my parents would let me go. To my surprise, they did. I was the only one from my friend group at church school to go, so of course, I rubbed it in.

I remember the original show was supposed to happen in August but ended up being delayed until October of that same year. The band held a press conference and lamented how a band member's unforeseen illness kept them from honoring that date, but they promised the Tri-Cities that they'd make up for it when they came back.

Boy, did Slipknot ever make right with Tri-Cities.

What song did Slipknot debut in Kennewick?

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When the band finally made the trek back to Kennewick, I was bopping their new record hard. All Hope is Gone was the best thing I'd ever heard up until that point. While it typically ranks low amongst most fans' ranking of the band's discography, All Hope is Gone holds a special place in my heart. With Slipknot having just dropped that album, of course, they were going to play a bunch of songs from it on their tour. Around that time, "Snuff" was getting radio play on 97 Rock, along with "Psychosocial," "Sulfer," and "Dead Memories." But for Slipknot fans who had previously seen the band on that tour, something was missing. Remember when I said Slipknot promised to make up for their postponed show in Kennewick? The band chose to make amends by making history, as "Snuff" made its live debut at the Toyota Center.

Behold, in all its 2009 potato camera quality, "Snuff" live at Toyota Center in Kennewick.

As the years pass, I am so thankful I went to that show. Paul Gray passed away a year later and Joey Jordison, who passed away in 2021, left the band in 2013. October 11, 2009 in Kennewick was one for the ages. See where "Snuff" ranks among all of Slipknot's songs, ever.