Outside of perhaps attempting to film a live set from Tool, the process of bootlegging shows in the modern age has become a lost art. Once a thriving scene where individuals would cultivate relationships with venues, bands, etc. to gain permission to film, or alternatively engage in bold clandestine operations to sneak in the then bulkier gear required to capture a show, these days all one need do is hold up their smart phone and hit record.
The internet and the rapid advancement of technology may have largely replaced that once tight-knit network of individuals, who be it for profit or passion, amassed sizable collections of prized shows on cassettes, VHS tapes, and later CDs and DVDs, to trade and sell.
Much like the music industry itself though, the internet essentially made the proliferation of live shows far less exclusive, while simultaneously striking a fatal blow against the necessity of physical trading. However to this day, the work of those intrepid bootleggers lives on thanks to some enterprising individuals.
Given their penchant for chaos at the time, Slipknot‘s late 90s and early 00s shows were among some of the most highly sought after live performances amid the height of nü-metal’s popularity.
With that masked metal group’s 2x multi-platinum 1999 self-titled album back in the spotlight amid the Iowan band’s ongoing 25th anniversary tour for it, it seems some of the vaults of the bootleggers referenced above are being reopened.
To that end, the YouTube channel FelipesVault has been compiling a treasure trove of sets from Slipknot‘s late 90s and early 2000s era, including concerts filmed during the band’s breakthrough run on the ‘Ozzfest‘, along with unmasked soundchecks and more. It’s not clear whether this is all newly unearthed footage or not, but it’s certainly a convenient singular place to revisit it amid the nostalgia of the anniversary.
Included among this collection of footage is the infamous September 11th, 1999 show Slipknot played in Cleveland, OH. As the legend goes, that set saw several concertgoers thought to be fans of Mushroomhead draw the ire members of Slipknot, by allegedly throwing batteries and other objects at them.
Their actions led to a physical confrontation with several members of Slipknot, including percussionist M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan, guitarist Jim Root and more, as the musicians ran to the barrier to violently confront the individuals.
That incident was the extension of a feud between the fanbases of Mushroomhead and Slipknot at the time. With Cleveland being Mushroomhead‘s home base, it was alleged by some that Slipknot were essentially stealing Mushroomhead‘s image in adopting their own masked look.
Mushroomhead drummer Steve “Skinny” Felton reflected on those past tensions last month, with the feud between the two bands having lasted for a number of years before eventually being squashed.
As seen in the below video, both venue and personal security went on to intervene in the altercation, with Taylor eventually asking the crowd, “do you want to see a fight or do you want to see a f*cking show man?” before getting the concert back on track.
You can take in that concert, along with more of those early live shows from the band below, with the fan altercation embedded first. You can also delve into the rest of the evolving archive of Slipknot footage via YouTube. Further archives are also seemingly being opened, in particular via the YouTube channels of Walpknot and Sipes Audio, with the later featuring footage remastered in 4k.
