A bunch of rare, old school Slipknot videos from the late ’90s and early 2000s have been shared online over the last couple of days, and fans are losing it.
According to various posts on the Slipknot Reddit page, the accounts that shared the videos have been part of a so-called “Slipknot Trading Scene” where individuals trade bootleg audio and video recordings with one another, but don’t upload them publicly for fans to see.
Why Are the Videos Being Uploaded Now?
A user on a particular Reddit thread alleged that footage from the band’s iconic 1999 concert at First Avenue in Minneapolis was leaked online, so the individual who filmed a lot of the bootleg concert videos gave permission to the accounts in the trading scene to upload the rest of the clips he provided them.
It’s unclear at this time which account leaked the initial video, but there are now several channels on YouTube with a plethora of newly-uploaded Slipknot concert and soundcheck footage from the late ’90s and early 2000s.
Slipknot’s Brawl With Mushroomhead Fans in Cleveland
One video that’s specifically been making the rounds is from the band’s 1999 concert in Cleveland, Ohio, where the members fought off Mushroomhead fans in the audience during the set because they were throwing things at the stage.
At the 9:19 mark, Corey Taylor shouts to the crowd, “Step up, pussy. Step up, bitch,” and then some of the band members jumped off the stage and started fighting people in the audience. Check it out below.
Slipknot Live (Cleveland, Ohio 1999)
Fans React to Videos Being Shared Online
The majority of fans shared positive and excited reactions to the footage now being available online.
“Honestly I’m glad. It always seemed weird to have a small group of people holding onto old quality footage when the entire fanbase would love to see it,” one fan wrote on the Reddit thread.
READ MORE: Corey Taylor Reveals Big Change to How Slipknot Will Tour
“People have been holding on pro shot footage from ’95 – ’02 for decades and trading/selling tapes. Alot of early day myths come from these said tapes, for example the ‘Clown wore a killer klown from outer space mask’ was a huge mystery for the masses and like a dozen people had seen the footage, until it got leaked couple years ago. So basically a circlejerk gatekeep-thingy to my knowledge,” someone else explained.
Other Videos That Have Been Shared
Some of the YouTube channels that shared the videos are FelipesVault, Walpknot and KnotConcerts100. We embedded a couple of the videos below, including their First Avenue concert, which was their first-ever show with Chris Fehn and Jim Root and thus their first with the nine-member lineup they became famous for.
You can visit the channels mentioned above to see the rest of the footage.
Slipknot (Live at First Avenue in Minneapolis, 1999)
Slipknot (Live in La Crosse, 2000)
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Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner