Knotfest Australia 2025 launched with a blistering start at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse last night, but there was one notable absence—Slipknot co-founder Shawn “Clown” Crahan.
Clown was expected to be onstage alongside his bandmates, but a last-minute family emergency forced him to sit out, and it looks like he won’t be making the rest of the tour either.
The absence didn’t just impact Slipknot. His son, Simon Crahan, drummer for Vended, also missed the show, with his band confirming that he would be replaced by a fill-in drummer for the Australian run. Vended, which features Corey Taylor’s son Griffin as its frontman, shared a short statement before taking the stage:
“Unfortunately due to a family emergency Simon will not be performing with us in Australia. We will continue with a fill-in drummer for the next few shows. Thank you for understanding, see you soon.”
While Slipknot themselves haven’t issued an official statement, the masked nine-piece still delivered a monstrous headlining set, pulling deep cuts like ‘No Life’ and the live debut of ‘Gematria (The Killing Name)’, alongside the usual chaos of ‘People = Sh*t’ and ‘Psychosocial’.
Photo: Corey Taylor’s son Griffin performs with his band Vended at Knotfest Melbourne 2025 (Photo by Philippa Louise Grouse)
Clown’s Struggles with Feeling “Important”
Clown’s absence comes after he recently opened up about his struggles with recognition in the industry. Despite being a founding member, percussionist, visual mastermind, and creative force behind Slipknot, he’s expressed frustration at feeling overlooked.
“I’ve had a rough twenty-five years trying to reassure myself that anything I do is really important,” Clown said in an interview. “Because I don’t have people asking me about my album covers. I never have people ask me about my videos. No one in twenty-five years, including Modern Drummer, has asked me about the keg.”
For a guy who literally beats metal barrels with a baseball bat to create Slipknot’s signature industrial chaos, it’s a wild thought that his contributions aren’t always recognised. Meanwhile, Sepultura’s Eloy Casagrande—who joined Slipknot last year—has already been nominated for Drummer of the Year, a nod that Clown admitted left him feeling a little envious.
With Melbourne’s mayhem now in the rearview, Knotfest Australia 2025 barrels ahead with two more massive stops: Brisbane on March 2 at Brisbane Showgrounds and Sydney on March 8 at Centennial Park.
Despite Clown’s absence, Slipknot are tearing through their 25th-anniversary run with brutal precision, delivering a setlist that balances fan-favourite chaos with rare deep cuts. Vended, too, are pushing forward with a temporary replacement behind the kit, proving that even with last-minute shake-ups, the show doesn’t stop.
Slipknot Setlist – Knotfest Australia 2025 (Melbourne)
(sic)
People = Sh*t
Gematria (The Killing Name) (Live debut)
Wait and Bleed
No Life
Yen
Tattered & Torn (Sid remix)
The Devil in I
The Heretic Anthem
Psychosocial
Unsainted
Duality
Encore:
Spit It Out
Surfacing
Scissors
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