Think this also rules out Slipknot. I feel like they would need/want to be there for the weekend for that, you know?
Did RF ever actually do a themed day/stage? Every year there is a discussion about a Chicago based stage or some other themes but from what I recall it never actually happens.
Slayer/Slipknot would have been too metal. I've seen people argue they are different bands, and technically it's true they aren't the exact same kind of metal, but on a broader scale they are both metal acts so it would have been a harder sell having two metal headliners I feel.
More people were saying that about System & Slayer.. but System has a totally more general-broad fanbase.. they were literally the only current nu metal/alt band that my listen to nothing but pop punk or ska friends were into in the late 90s, early 00s I agree Slipknot & Slayer both headlining the same Riot would be overkill though
2019 was the closest thing to a themed main stage. Friday was Pop Punk with Blink, Dashboard, Neck Deep, IDK How and Yours Truly. Saturday was metal with Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Gwar, the Hu. Second main stage was punk leaning with Rise Against, The Story So Far, Avail, Turnstile and Masked Intruder Sunday was all female fronted bands with Bikinki Kill, Patti Smith, Against Me, The Beaches and Skating Polly. There has been some years where one day a stage is full of pop punk bands. I remember my first year 2017 a stage was Sleep On It, Four Year Strong, State Champs, The Story So Far, Mayday Parade and ADTR
It depends on how you're defining a "theme" and how strict you're going to be. There's usually at least a few stages each year that feel pretty heavily curated. If not by genre, by bands that just generally "vibe" well or look good on paper together. I think a lot of times it happens because of tours they book or trying to book support acts around the headliners. Riot Mike has said in interviews that he really takes pride in that sort of thing. Riot/Roots had a lot of this in 2022. Radical/Rise in 2021 had a lot of this too. And a few that were almost perfectly curated but there was one weirdo band that got slotted in for some reason (e.g., the Ghost Inside between Simple Plan and MGK).
That stage was odd as it also had Fever333 between Kennyhoopla and Simple Plan, while they had Knuckle Puck and NFG playing other stage. I know it was because there were some cancellations, but having Anthrax playing before Flaming Lips, and Devo before Slipknot was interesting too.
See, for me, that stage made perfect sense on paper except for the Ghost Inside. It was all "pop-punk" and the Fever 333 (who, arguably, fit because of the whole "rap-rock" thing with MGK as headliner). NFG could have worked too, I guess, but given the style of pop-punk... MGK made more sense with those bands, anyway. NIN and Devo would have been perfect. Haha. But Devo and Slipknot back to back on that one stage was interesting. Haha.
So since Slipknot is hitting every major market on this tour with no Chicago date and in the Midwest with 2/3 of the dates opened. Are we saying it’s likely they’ll be added?
They could be adding more dates after the Knocked Loose tour finishes. Or if they are playing maybe the Slayer day will be billed like Slayer reunion/final Midwest NoFx shows or how they do that lump headliners sometime.
Slayer & Slipknot are two huge headliners to bill on one day. if Riot pulled it off, I'd be impressed as fuck - they are headlining seperate days on all the Wimmer festivals which draw much bigger crowds than Riot for the most part which only leaves Friday (Knotfest is the Saturday of Riot) I really don't see Slipknot playing the same weekend they are basically running their own festival.
I misread your post and thought you said they could play the same day.. and I really doubt they play the Friday my guess is another leg with Chicago gets added later this year like someone else posted
Given that Slipknot has a date in Des Moines on 9/21, that's a bigger festival-style thing that they're putting on, I think it's safe to say they're out.
Slipknot headlining again would be cool, but I couldn’t see them doubling-down on two metal headliners, tbh. Unless it was in a slightly different ballpark
This whole lineup is out as it’s in Canada during Riot. Weird considering there’s no Chicago date of this tour
There’s no Chicago on the slipknot tour. The could do festivals back to back nights Des Moines isn’t that far
I'd think if any of the members of Slipknot have any part in the setting up, producing of Knotfest.. they'd have to be there the Friday
Yeah this was my thought too. If they were playing a different festival of some sort, then I think they’d be a lock. But since it’s their own festival they’re putting on, they’d presumably have to be there for setup and other things