Watch Slipknot Freak Out Washing, D.C. Tourists, Play Ozzfest In 1999 Via Revolver Mag
Iowa metal act terrorized children, parents ahead of insane “Spit It Out” performance
Back in 1999 before they became the heavy-music monolith they are today, Slipknot were a rising metal band with an insane self-titled debut, which they were eager to perform for crowds throughout that year’s edition of Ozzfest.
In an incredible clip posted to Facebook by the festival itself yesterday, we see the nine-piece masked performers descend on our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. — tromping through the touristy Washington Mall area scaring and delighting kids and visor-wearing moms alike. When one particularly smiley, eccentric older lady is asked if she knows who the jumpsuit-wearing crew are, she gives a surprisingly on-point answer: “Slipknot. They have taken the imagination of all the children, the young people, the 8th graders who are not really human anyway …” The camera cuts quickly to a young freckled kid bellowing enthusiastically, “Slipknot ruuuules! I cannot wait to go to Ozzfest!”
A montage shows the band members silently stalking the crowds who’ve gathered to witness their unique appearance and demeanor, while one teenager takes a shot at describing each of their masks: even comparing Mick Thomson’s mask to “a Rob Zombie kind of guy” before getting a quick middle finger to the face by the guitarist.
After the fully costumed musicians introduce themselves individually with their respective names and assigned band numbers, Paul “The Pig” Gray elaborates on the band’s choice to dress the way they do. “Being from Des Moines, the shit hole of the U.S. there, you know everybody treats us like nobody,” he explains, “so we decided ‘Hey, why not be nobody?'”
The clip then jumps to The ‘Knot’s rowdy performance of “Spit It Out” at the festival, complete with the bat-shit mosh pit and wild crowd surfers going absolutely bonkers for the band in the middle of the day. Echoing every last bit of that energy is the band themselves, with all members giving a high-octane performance and tossing their own instruments while a near-riot breaks out among the amped audience.
