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Rating: An email appears in the accounts of the happy holders of the ticket for the concert on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, disturbing their peace:
"Due to delays caused by customs checks that kept Corey Taylor's production truck stuck for several hours, the concert is confirmed but will start later than scheduled."
How late? It's not given to know but it doesn't matter. What counts is that the concert goes ahead.
After the cancellation of the Austrian date a few days earlier and the risk that the European tour might not happen at all (given the health issues the frontman of Slipknot and Stone Sour had to face in winter), the idea flashed in everyone's mind was the same: this tour is really troubled.
But in the end, all's well that ends well.
Alcatraz, the historic Milanese temple of rock is bustling. The long and orderly line outside the venue clears quickly thanks to the rapid checks at the entrance, allowing everyone to settle in no time. The lights dim, and amidst the wild screams, the Siamese, a Danish alternative band, take the stage. Their metal, consisting of powerful riffs and synthesizers but also violin strings, nods to far more renowned bands like Atreyu, without being overshadowed at all. Mirza Radonjica, the band's frontman, showcases scratchy octaves, with a growl that at its peaks almost makes us worry about the health of his vocal cords. Mirza chats with the audience between songs and claims the band's passion for football. He even playfully mocks us, reminding us how unencouraging the performances of the Italian national team in the recently started European Championship have been so far.
Once the Siamese's performance is over and after a good half an hour of work, required to replace the instruments on stage (with the exception of the drums, kindly lent by the Danes for time-saving reasons), to do the soundcheck and finish the mixing, the ground is ready for the stars of the evening.
The intro on ukulele notes, which opens the latest work "CMFT2", cradles the excitement, while our guys enter one by one amidst the crowd's screams.
"Post Traumatic Blues" lights the powder and erases the wait. Corey talks a lot with the audience, kisses the Italian flag handed to him by someone in front of the stage, and tells us he bought the guitar he's holding in a shop in Milan. He says that a near sold-out under the shadow of the Madonnina was not a given, reiterates (with a bit of flattery) that we are the best singers and the loudest in the Old Continent. He shares that the period of depression is behind him and that negativity and toxicity are completely eradicated. With a bit of emotion, while the crowd chants his name loudly, he recalls that he has never taken our affection and every single applause received for granted. Words that, combined with the excitement for all the music about to come, ignite the Alcatraz floor even more.
Taylor dedicates the beautiful "Black Eyes Blue" and the fiery "Beyond" to his wife Alicia, present in a hidden corner of the stage. Before performing the equally moving "Home", he recalls how important Mrs. Taylor has been during the crisis and in his life overall. Corey is sensitive and romantic, with no act. His fans and followers know it well. The mask has long fallen, and he is keen to remind us.
Bridging the gap between emotion and hilarity, capitalizing on the surprise effect, is SpongeBob. A classic: an acoustic guitar, a cheeky smile, and Corey's voice singing "SpongeBobSquarePants", rapidly echoed by the crowd, who laughs and sings along.
The electrified audience still chants the name of the beloved master of ceremonies during the interludes and constantly surprises Mr. Taylor at every opportunity, forcing him to stop to give thanks.
The setlist foresees that pieces from Taylor's solo project alternate with hits from Stone Sour ("Song#3", "Through Glass", "30/30-150") and Slipknot ("Before I Forget", "Duality", "Snuff"). The more frenzied "maggots" did not hold back in the mosh, invading the moshpit and stirring up dust under the stage. But there is always calm after the storm. The calm was brought by the pieces executed masterfully in acoustic and sung by the audience from start to finish. Among the most loved and celebrated of all is "Snuff," which knows no time and always amazes with the emotions it conveys. A dark ballad about love and torment ("Angels lie to keep control…My love was punished long ago"), delicate and introspective, usually whispered behind the scary mask of the moment, having originated in the Slipknot house. Taylor almost struggles to be heard, everyone sings with so much heart and throat until they drown him out (something almost impossible to do).
The only slightly off note of the evening is the cover "The Killing Moon" by Echo & the Bunnymen, performed in an alternative and somewhat denatured version compared to the original piece.
Christian Martucci, since 2014 the guitarist of Stone Sour and lent to the solo project, shines on his own and merges with the frontman's guitar friend during solos. There is great harmony between the two, and the friendship that binds them is particularly evident. Perhaps due to Martucci's dual passport, there are some words of appreciation in Italian, but the swear words aren't missing either, a game that repeats during every concert in the Belpaese, with the complicity of the audience, which is the main instigator.
Everything flows with frenetic naturalness, none of us feels the fatigue, and after the usual fake closure, the four protagonists grant an encore, or rather a threefold encore. The splendid "Through Glass" deceives us that the finale merges solely into reflection and tranquility. Nothing could be more wrong. It starts with a blast with another fiery Stone Sour track, "30/30-150", then comes the inevitable, uncontainable final explosion with "Duality," taken from "The Subliminal Verses," celebrating its twentieth birthday this year. The moshpit revives, the "back rows" mingle with the front ones, and even the shyest come forward, very well aware it's imminent the epilogue of a highly anticipated and memorable evening.
It's not easy managing a parallel project like this at high levels when you are the frontman and founder of two enormous bands like Slipknot and Stone Sour. Corey Taylor managed to do so, bringing his personal touch and embellishing it with the usual successes. It's true, pieces like "Before I Forget" and "Duality", deprived of the makeup and extreme theatricality of those who conceived them, lose visual impact but it hardly matters. This metallic meltin' pot does not give way to boredom or calm. Amidst screams and sweat, we are all one big family, in front of our putative father. More like a friend, one might say, considering what he has done for us with his music, without giving in to recent difficulties, moreover shared step by step with the audience.
We are all happy that Corey is now well and has found personal tranquility.
Behind a great man, there's always a great woman, they say. In this case, greatness travels parallel.
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