Even before the kabuki curtain drop, the crowd is chanting in the dark, calling for nine masked men.
Taking the stage as the headlining band of the inaugural Mayhem Fest, pioneering alt-metal band Slipknot unleashed their special brand of nightmare on the rabid horde of fans who had braved the day-long event.
After tremendous performances by Disturbed, DragonForce, and Mastodon on the main stage, Slipknot came to deliver the deathblow with an all out assault, complete with pyrotechnics and all the showmanship fans of the band have come to expect from their explosive live performance.
The Grammy-award winning band gave fans a selection of new and old material alike, including tracks from their upcoming release All Hope Is Gone, due out later this month.
Photographer’s Notes:
This band was a fantastic group to photograph. While I initially had reservations about the use of masks and the potential impact they might have in connecting with the subjects, I found that the greater body language of the performers left no deficit of interest.
Just as with all shows, pose and gesture were critically important for this shoot, and the consideration for these factors drove many of my shooting decisions.
The lighting for this set was a fantastic mix of atmospheric effects and harder, more directional light on the performers. Aside from the pyro blowing up behind the band, there was a heavy use of smoke and background lighting that created a fantastic mood for the show.
End Notes:
I’d like to once again thanks Roadrunner Records and Amanda from 4Fini for the fantastic access for this shoot. Also, a big thanks and shout out to Iggy R. for the fantastic lighting effects on this tour. I’ve photographed several tours this man has worked on, all of them were beautifully lit, but this one takes the cake.
25 Comments Add your own
1. Celso | August 6th, 2008 at 2:45 am
They Are Here! :D :D :D
One question for you? Do you sell and ship prints to Portugal? ;) (I mean it!)
Nice shots, It’s a pity that concentrated more on Corey and only half of the band… :/ Well I guess the others where far or perhaps less well lighted…
Best Regards!
2. Todd | August 6th, 2008 at 2:54 am
Yes, I realize I was shooting mostly Corey, though you are right: he did have the best light on him. It’s tough when there are nine full members of the band!
I will see what else I have in the images not in this batch, perhaps there are some other shots I can show that include other performers.
As always, thanks for the comment, Celso, I was hoping you’d see these shots.
3. Celso | August 6th, 2008 at 3:32 am
Would miss them for the world! I think of myself as a person who enjoys almost every kind of music, but this is one of the bands that I watched growing since their first album.
Plus in my opinion the whole mask thing creates this kind of alter-ego’s for them that just works perfectly. As they’re a band that invest so much in the visual aspect of they’re show and you being such a good photographer in my mind it’s almost a match made in heaven…
Enough with the compliments… :) Thanks for looking for other pictures :)
Best Regards!
4. Todd | August 6th, 2008 at 3:56 am
I’m happy to do my part for the band and their images. ;)
I will get back to you if I have any other shots worth showing of the other band members.
Glad to hear you approve of these shots since you’re a fan of the band!
5. Keath | August 6th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Looks great Todd!
6. Todd | August 6th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Hey Keath, thanks!
7. Jason Sheesley | August 6th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Come to think of it, I’ve seem more than one classic photo book that had a picture of someone in a mask and the photographer describing the respective challenges. It becomes less about the person and more about how the person becomes an object in the overall composition (at least it was for John Loengard).
Nice shots as always, Todd.
8. Todd | August 6th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Hey Jason, thanks for your thoughts on the set. With faces marginalized in this way for Slipknot, I would certainly say that composition and timing were a huge element of photographing the band.
However, I didn’t feel as though it was a great departure from shooting other acts of the night. In a night of epic poses, it seemed like a pretty natural extension!
9. Nicole | August 6th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Really excellent set of shots, you are right about the body language thing. Sure the masks are interesting, but more interesting to me is the different stances you captured the band members in. Very interesting work. (Helps that I’m a Slipknot fan!)
10. Todd | August 6th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Hey Nicole, thanks for the kind words.
I was just thinking about the mask thing a little more, and what this shoot really reminded me of is photographing hip hop performers. While the music itself is vastly different, hip hop artists will often hold the mic in such a way that often obscures their face, making gesture critically important.
Glad to hear you approve of the shots! Please feel free to share this link with other fans.
11. Daniel | August 6th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Great shots Todd (as usual).
Slipknot really do put on a great show. They’re very intense and have a great presence on stage. Too bad you couldn’t get the percussion section, since they are very energetic too.
The use of masks gives a whole different dimensions to their show, even though the new ones aren’t as scary (at least to me) as the older ones.
Even though I’m not a particular fan of their type of metal, I think they put on a very dynamic and interesting show, and that we can feel that through your shots.
Cheers!
Daniel
12. Todd | August 6th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Hey Daniel, thanks for the feedback. I agree, the band put on a great show that did not disappoint.
I checked out some of the older masks and it’s really interesting to see the evolution. They’re great pieces.
Thanks again for your comments!
13. Daniel | August 6th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
No problem Todd. The comments are more then fair, since your work is really really good.
About the masks, they were supposed to represent an evolution, becoming more “degraded” (with scars, burns, etc) to represent road towards the end of the band (since Corey and the other members said they would end after Iowa, which didn’t happen).
They’re a very peculiar band in the industry and, even though one may not like them, one can never be completely indifferent to them.
Cheers!
Daniel
PS: looking forward for those Lollapalooza shots ;)
14. Todd | August 6th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Hey Daniel, I can certainly see the masks as a progression. I was reading one interview with Clown in which he mentioned how they very rarely wash the masks, too. Their philosophy is just to “sit in it,” ha. I think that certainly adds some authenticity!
15. Chris | August 6th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
SHAZZAM! I hate to be so numerical in order, but my picks really are 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. 2 because it has a different feel from the rest and because of the lighting on the guitarist, 3 because of the wide angle used to capture Corey [I think it gives a different feel since a lot of others are close up on him], 4 because — well, you see, there’s this rule in concert photography… [plus the vibrancy on him is rockin], 5 because it’s a different band member, his hair is sick [in a good way.. for the photo, anyways] and his pose gives off a ton of energy, and 6 because it complements 3 well and I can feel him screaming into the mic.
But additionally, I love this one because of the fading colours in the back — just something about it makes me really enjoy the picture. Also, something about the lighting and pose in this one makes him look like a little gremlin or something plotting his attack on his next victim.
I’ll give you 5 points for this one just because is the 14-24 and that lens makes me pee myself.
Finally, though my ubertastic favorite pic for the entire set is number 13 — the colours are different, the action is stopped, the framing is much tighter… it was just instantly my favorite!
Bam, shazzam, wam! Great set!
16. Todd | August 6th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Hey Chris!
Now these are the posts I have come to expect from you, I think you’re officially back.
Thanks very much for the detailed comments and your picks. I see I may have unconsciously front-loaded the write-up with my favorite images, which you’ve picked out.
Though, I do always try to start strong. That was one thing I learned about presenting a portfolio.
I find it’s interesting that you choose #13 as your favorite. I think that was pretty early on in the set when this guy was thrashing his head around, the hair managed to part just for a split second.
Thanks again, Chris!
17. Keith | August 6th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
You are da masta! These look so clean and intense. Great stuff.
My faves are 3, 5, and 6. But I think this is another stellar set. These guys brought the chainsaw bassheavy madness.
18. Todd | August 8th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Hey Keith, thanks for the feedback and your selections, I see you and Chris have similar taste. Slipknot definitely brought the noise.
19. Eric Hamilton | August 8th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Sorry I don’t get time to comment more, Todd.
I think it’s interesting to see your progression as a photographer. I thought you were outstanding when I first saw your images, but I think you just keep getting better with every set. Every time I see your shots, it encourages me to keep improving my craft.
I hope you’re always out there setting the bar higher for guys like me, so we never get the chance to slack off. =)
- Eric
20. Todd | August 9th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Hey Eric, thanks for the kind words. I’m always striving to improve my work and myself as a photographer. I appreciate the comment!
21. Avangelist | August 10th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
The Knot are THE best pop band around, cannot wait for them to come back to the UK, hope to get access myself.
They are a great band to watch it is so energetic
22. Todd | August 10th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Hey Andy, thanks for the comment. I agree, they put on a great live show. Hope you get to photograph them soon.
23. Slipknot @ Mayhem Fest | &hellip | August 17th, 2008 at 7:03 am
[...] Slipknot @ Mayhem Fest | ishootshows.com: Concert Photography [...]
24. Hannah Meadows | September 2nd, 2008 at 11:15 am
Hiya!
i am a really big fan of your work!!
is there any chance i can get any work experience with you?!?!?!
xxxxxxxxxxxx
25. Jeff | September 20th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I’m so glad i got to shoot one of my fav bands too at mayhem fest toronto! Too bad I missed joey’s spinning drumset!
speak up
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