SunFest featuring Colony House, Flipturn, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Gata, Chase Atlantic, De’Wayne, Polo G, Goo Goo Dolls, Chris Pierce, Lil Wayne, Selfish Sons, AJR, Baby Jake, Ric Wilson, and Steve Aoki at West Palm Beach, FL April 28 - May 1, 2022. All photos taken by Valentina Ramirez.
James Arthur (with support from Nina Nesbitt) performing at Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta, GA on May 4, 2022. All photos taken by Alyssa Hudson.
The Band CAMINO (with support from Hastings and flor) performing at Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia, PA on April 30, 2022. All photos taken by Cami Liberty.
jxdn (with support from KILLBOY and Jasiah) performing at Webster Hall in New York City on May 3, 2022. All photos taken by Alexis Marzo.
Teddy Swims performing at Webster Hall in New York City on April 29, 2022. All photos taken by Samantha Crowley.
WDHA’s Rock the Rock Fest with Godsmack, Three Days Grace, Black Veil Brides, Wage War, and Lilith Czar performing at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on April 28, 2022. All photos taken by Alexis Marzo.
Shinedown (with support from The Pretty Reckless and Diamante) performing at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, AL on April 30, 2022. All photos taken by Alyssa Hudson.
KALEO performing at Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, IL on April 30, 2022. All photos taken by Samantha Monendo.
98ROCKFEST with Godsmack, Three Days Grace, Motionless In White, Black Veil Brides, Ice Nine Kills, and Wage War performing at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL on April 22, 2022. All photos taken by Mack Knox.
Johnny Orlando performing at Gramercy Theatre in New York City on April 22, 2022. All photos taken by Elizabeth Feirstein.
Cancer Bats (with support from Comeback Kid, Misery Signals, and Chief State) performing at Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver, BC on April 21, 2022. All photos taken by Emma-Jane Dotchuk.
tiLLie performing at Theatre of Living Arts in Philadelphia, PA on April 20, 2022. All photos taken by Cami Liberty.
The Darkness performing at Webster Hall in New York City on April 18, 2022. All photos taken by Samantha Crowley.
Ashe performing at Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta, GA on April 21, 2022. All photos taken by Chandler Bunzol.
Tempers (with support from LEYA) performing at Zebulon in Los Angeles, CA on April 20, 2022. All photos taken by Keion Hayes.
After years of fans pleading for their return to Vancouver, BC, Slipknot did not disappoint on their last night with accompanying acts In This Moment and Wage War on part I of the Knotfest Roadshow.
A sea of leather and band tees could be seen surrounding the arena on Sunday night as fans of all ages anticipated the opening of the gates, those with floor tickets rushing towards their section to be first on the floor against the barricade, whilst others waited in line for merch. I asked one gentleman later in the arena how long he had waited as I noticed the line was beginning to wrap around the arena, to which he replied, “I missed the opening act and half of the second, so roughly and hour.” A dedicated, hardcore fan.
At 6:30 the lights surrounding the arena fell, the crowd erupting in screams and cheers as opening act Wage War took to the stage under the bright red lights, starting the show with “Relapse” off their most recent studio album Manic, released in 2021. Following their performance, several people in the crowd shared their thoughts with those they were enjoying the show with, uttering, “they’ve gained a new fan!” or, “awesome start to the show,” as crew worked both back and on-stage to prepare for Los Angeles-based In This Moment. The speakers were overpowered by the crowd as they erupted in song to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” before the curtain fell and vocalist Maria Brink hit the stage in a theatrical, engaging performance. Before leaving us for the evening, Brink explained the importance of their last song, titled “Whore,” her entire life she was told she would never amount to anything and that people always had something negative to say about her or to her. I really resonated with this as I believe most of us have been called a negative word, or been told that our dreams are useless to have and that we should just fall in line with everyone else. Work a 9-5, be secure. If I’m a whore, then so be it!
The moment we’d all been waiting for was moments from happening as fans anxiously awaited the final curtain drop. As I stood in the photo pit between the barricade and the stage, I spun slowly on my heel, taking in the energy and excitement of the crowd. The moment came full circle as I remembered sitting in this exact arena 18 years ago to see my very first concert. The curtain rose and the crowd behind me screamed as vocalist Corey Taylor took to the stage, the intro to “Disasterpiece” filling the arena. The floor turned into a mosh pit, crowd surfers floating toward the front of the stage one after the other.
Slipknot took the arena by surprise halfway through their 20 song set as Taylor informed the crowd that he’s been waiting “13 years to play this next song live” requesting that the crowd sing “Snuff” with him if they knew the words.
Taylor emphasized throughout the night, that “regardless of if you’ve been with Slipknot since 1999, or 20 minutes ago, regardless of your age, or skin color, religion, or how you identify, or who you love, we are all family!”
Thank you to Wage War, In This Moment, and Slipknot for an amazing Knotfest and truly unforgettable experience for myself and so many others. We hope to see you soon.
Words and photos by Emma-Jane Dotchuk
Trinity of Terror Tour featuring Motionless In White, Ice Nine Kills, and Black Veil Brides (with support from Lilith Czar) performing at The Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA on April 16, 2022. All photos taken by Sophia Zucker.
Clairo performing at The Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA on April 16, 2022. All photos taken by Chandler Bunzol.
Omar Apollo (with support from Deb Never) performing at The Warfield in San Francisco, CA on April 13, 2022. All photos taken by Brandon Lu.
Covey performing at Elsewhere in Brooklyn, NY on April 9, 2022. All photos taken by Amélie Stoddard.
