Joliet, IL – The prolific frontman for both Stone Sour and Slipknot, Corey Taylor released his long awaited debut album entitled CMFT in October of 2020, right in the middle of a global pandemic. After hosting a virtual concert from the Forum in LA, Taylor and his band, which includes Christian Martucci and Zach Throne on guitars, Dustin Robert on drums and Jason Christopher on bass, hit the road on a tour that started in May in Tempe, Arizona and will wrap up near the end of June in Lincoln, Nebraska – but not before he treated Chicago area fans to 3 sold out nights of socially distanced shows at The Forge in Joliet, Il.
Prior to Corey Taylor taking the stage, those in attendance were treated to a spectacular performance by the Cherry Bombs, a sinister and sexy burlesque dance high octane rock and roll rock show, which is fronted by Corey’s wife Alicia Taylor. The show theme was Macabarét, which included a mixture of fantasy and horror dance numbers up on stage, some of which included props such as metal grinders, neon lights and yes – even fire. Aerialists would take to the scarves and ropes that were set up in front of the stage as they wowed the crowd with their performances in different costumes. For about an hour, the Cherry Bombs fascinated everyone with their performance.
Although not at full capacity, you couldn’t tell when Corey Taylor and his band took to the stage. Thanking the crowd for such a warm welcome, the band appropriately opened with Pink Floyd’s “In the Flesh”, a great number to start the night off after a year and a half of no concerts and virtual streams, before punching it into gear with the Johnny Cash/Motorhead boot stomping, roadhouse, lovechild, “HWY 666”. Much like his solo record, CMFT, the nights setlist consisted of an eclectic choice of songs, not just from CMFT, but also from the other bands he fronts. Case in point, as Corey took to a stool and acoustic guitar, he talked about a Slipknot song that he never gets to play live, so he said “Fuck it, I’m gonna take it and play it live!”, then proceeded to perform “Snuff” from the album, All Hope Is Gone.
Taylor also performed several songs from Stone Sour, including fan favorites “Zzyzx Rd” and “Bother”. The band also performed a few covers, including “Shakin'” from Eddie Money as well as a rousing rendition of the theme from Eddie and the Cruisers, “On The Dark Side” from John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, that had everyone dancing. At one point during the evening set, Corey talked to the crowd about a song that he wrote for his wife and performed for her at their wedding. He then sat down at a piano and performed the extremely personal and touching ballad, “Home”. Many times throughout the night, Taylor thanked the crowd for coming to the show.
Even in the socially-distanced environment, the evening was an awesome beginning toward some sense of normalcy again.
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Show Date: 6/07/2021
