Concert Set for Slipknot
When Paul Busch first got together with Shawn Crahan of Slipknot (aka “Clown”) to discuss a new concert set, Crahan used words such as punk rock and garage to describe his needs. Meeting on a tour bus in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Busch and Crahan began with pencil sketches of the possible elements.
“When I went to see the band there was so much happening at once, but they were a ball of frenzy in the middle,” Busch recalls. “I wanted to spread them out to make them a larger act to let the kids see the individuality of each member and expand on the individual characters.”
Busch designed a custom set incorporating moving pieces and multiple levels to separate the nine chaotic members of the band, as well as a moving grid and moving circle trusses to add to the frenzy.
Busch presented the plans to the band and management in Los Angeles where Crahan, a former welder himself, insisted the set be constructed of steel “because there would be nine guys hitting things with pipes.”
Although a set primarily constructed of steel would be hard on the crew and expensive to ship, it proved to be a good call in the end. Once the final design was approved, the staff at Vision Fab began constructing the steel monstrosity that would be Slipknot’s steel junkyard.
The first set piece, a hydraulic drum riser for Clown (percussionist and antics stage left), housed Clown’s drums (custom built at Vision Fab), rotated 360 degrees at variable speeds, and raised Clown and the drums ten feet in the air via a scissor lift separate from the riser base. The riser was operated offstage by remote control. The base was randomly shaped with multiple jagged corners, and fabricated out of tread plate.
“Although Clown’s territory was downstage left, you can see three or four band members hanging off this thing and beating on it all at once,” commented Busch.
For more on Clown’s drum riser, including detail photos and a Quicktime movie of the riser in action, click here.
The next piece, a hydraulic drum riser for Chris Fehn (percussionist and antics stage right), housed Fehn’s steel drums (also custom built at Vision Fab), and tilted 60 degrees in any direction at variable speeds, through a complex hydraulic and bearing assembly separate from the riser base.
“The design was similar to a mechanical bull on drugs,” Busch described. The riser was operated offstage by remote control, and featured a base similar to Clown’s, a random, jagged shape, constructed of tread plate.
Busch praised Fehn’s athleticism and gave him credit for staying aboard the riser while his tech, Tony Grey, tried to throw him during the entire show. Other riders often invaded Fehn’s territory (downstage left) as well, Busch added.
“The riser was first delivered during filming of the movie Rollerball, in which the band was featured. Slipknot’s bass tech, Saul, went for a test mission on Fehn’s drums that night after a few cocktails and was thrown from the power tilter off of the stage and broke his arm on the concrete. Not a toy, Saul!”
For more on Fehn’s drum riser, including detail photos and a Quicktime movie of the riser in action, click here.
The third piece, a hydraulic drum riser for Joey Jordison (the band's actual drummer) was designed to be a showstopper; similar to Tommy Lee’s of Motley Crue, but going a step further, having no cage. At first glance it would appear to be a standard platform.
The inner top surface was an eight-foot grated surface disc that rotated 360 degrees at variable speeds. An entire drum kit was retrofitted and permanently attached to the riser’s round grated surface. Locations for the regular drummer’s stool were spiked with Vision Fab’s drum brakes. Busch added a crazy, random, jagged shaped base of tread plate with laser-cut tribal ‘S’ letters, Slipknot’s official logo, around the sides to complete the theme.
A racecar style seat, featuring a six point harness, was integrated into a quick-change secure seating system that could be locked into place or fully removed in less than five seconds. Jordison visited Vision Fab for three days during final construction and the drum kit and seating system was modified and adjusted to meet his exact specifications and comfortable playing angles.
“We then got him suited up and strapped in to get the feel of playing upside down,” Busch recounted. “We rehearsed the quick change and then sat down with video and discussed the moves we would use during show.”
The riser made its debut on the Pledge of Allegiance Tour in Denver. During show, with the seat changed out, and Jordison strapped in, the drums elevated eighteen feet while rotating and tilting forward 90 degrees via complex hydraulics. Finally, a red pentagram star mounted beneath the drum kit lit up. Shawn Economaki, Slipknot’s stage manager, operated the system offstage via remote control.
For more on Jordison’s drum riser, including detail photos and a Quicktime movie of the riser in action during Jordison’s drum solo, click here.
Amp carts/platforms, designed to flank the right and left sides of Jordison’s drum kit, permanently housed guitar cabinets and were connected by an upstage walkway above and behind the drum kit.
“Ramps along the right and left sides provided speedy access and runways for the band to be crazy on,” Busch commented. All surfaces were of grated material to allow pyrotechnics to be shot from underneath. Jagged risers were constructed to be evil junkyard homes for the band's sampler, Craig Jones, and resident DJ, Sid Wilson. Additional set pieces such as the band's tribal "S" logos and "666" lights were placed around the stage.
“When you see the band now, there is so much happening visually at once, you could watch the show with earplugs and be visually entertained from start to finish,” Busch said. “Add in the ‘end of the world sounds’ and the excessive use of pyro, and the result is a sensory overload the band was trying to achieve.”
“I have to hand it to my staff at Vision Fab,” Busch remarked, “we really broke some new ground in the hydraulic drum riser department and the guys performed under some tight delivery times. The band was very pleased.”
A complete second set was constructed for use in Europe, Australia and Japan to accommodate the band’s busy schedule.
When Paul Busch first got together with Shawn Crahan of Slipknot (aka “Clown”) to discuss a new concert set, Crahan used words such as punk rock and garage to describe his needs. Meeting on a tour bus in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Busch and Crahan began with pencil sketches of the possible elements.
“When I went to see the band there was so much happening at once, but they were a ball of frenzy in the middle,” Busch recalls. “I wanted to spread them out to make them a larger act to let the kids see the individuality of each member and expand on the individual characters.”
Busch designed a custom set incorporating moving pieces and multiple levels to separate the nine chaotic members of the band, as well as a moving grid and moving circle trusses to add to the frenzy.
Busch presented the plans to the band and management in Los Angeles where Crahan, a former welder himself, insisted the set be constructed of steel “because there would be nine guys hitting things with pipes.”
Although a set primarily constructed of steel would be hard on the crew and expensive to ship, it proved to be a good call in the end. Once the final design was approved, the staff at Vision Fab began constructing the steel monstrosity that would be Slipknot’s steel junkyard.
The first set piece, a hydraulic drum riser for Clown (percussionist and antics stage left), housed Clown’s drums (custom built at Vision Fab), rotated 360 degrees at variable speeds, and raised Clown and the drums ten feet in the air via a scissor lift separate from the riser base. The riser was operated offstage by remote control. The base was randomly shaped with multiple jagged corners, and fabricated out of tread plate.
“Although Clown’s territory was downstage left, you can see three or four band members hanging off this thing and beating on it all at once,” commented Busch.
For more on Clown’s drum riser, including detail photos and a Quicktime movie of the riser in action, click here.
The next piece, a hydraulic drum riser for Chris Fehn (percussionist and antics stage right), housed Fehn’s steel drums (also custom built at Vision Fab), and tilted 60 degrees in any direction at variable speeds, through a complex hydraulic and bearing assembly separate from the riser base.
“The design was similar to a mechanical bull on drugs,” Busch described. The riser was operated offstage by remote control, and featured a base similar to Clown’s, a random, jagged shape, constructed of tread plate.
Busch praised Fehn’s athleticism and gave him credit for staying aboard the riser while his tech, Tony Grey, tried to throw him during the entire show. Other riders often invaded Fehn’s territory (downstage left) as well, Busch added.
“The riser was first delivered during filming of the movie Rollerball, in which the band was featured. Slipknot’s bass tech, Saul, went for a test mission on Fehn’s drums that night after a few cocktails and was thrown from the power tilter off of the stage and broke his arm on the concrete. Not a toy, Saul!”
For more on Fehn’s drum riser, including detail photos and a Quicktime movie of the riser in action, click here.
The third piece, a hydraulic drum riser for Joey Jordison (the band's actual drummer) was designed to be a showstopper; similar to Tommy Lee’s of Motley Crue, but going a step further, having no cage. At first glance it would appear to be a standard platform.
The inner top surface was an eight-foot grated surface disc that rotated 360 degrees at variable speeds. An entire drum kit was retrofitted and permanently attached to the riser’s round grated surface. Locations for the regular drummer’s stool were spiked with Vision Fab’s drum brakes. Busch added a crazy, random, jagged shaped base of tread plate with laser-cut tribal ‘S’ letters, Slipknot’s official logo, around the sides to complete the theme.
A racecar style seat, featuring a six point harness, was integrated into a quick-change secure seating system that could be locked into place or fully removed in less than five seconds. Jordison visited Vision Fab for three days during final construction and the drum kit and seating system was modified and adjusted to meet his exact specifications and comfortable playing angles.
“We then got him suited up and strapped in to get the feel of playing upside down,” Busch recounted. “We rehearsed the quick change and then sat down with video and discussed the moves we would use during show.”
The riser made its debut on the Pledge of Allegiance Tour in Denver. During show, with the seat changed out, and Jordison strapped in, the drums elevated eighteen feet while rotating and tilting forward 90 degrees via complex hydraulics. Finally, a red pentagram star mounted beneath the drum kit lit up. Shawn Economaki, Slipknot’s stage manager, operated the system offstage via remote control.
For more on Jordison’s drum riser, including detail photos and a Quicktime movie of the riser in action during Jordison’s drum solo, click here.
Amp carts/platforms, designed to flank the right and left sides of Jordison’s drum kit, permanently housed guitar cabinets and were connected by an upstage walkway above and behind the drum kit.
“Ramps along the right and left sides provided speedy access and runways for the band to be crazy on,” Busch commented. All surfaces were of grated material to allow pyrotechnics to be shot from underneath. Jagged risers were constructed to be evil junkyard homes for the band's sampler, Craig Jones, and resident DJ, Sid Wilson. Additional set pieces such as the band's tribal "S" logos and "666" lights were placed around the stage.
“When you see the band now, there is so much happening visually at once, you could watch the show with earplugs and be visually entertained from start to finish,” Busch said. “Add in the ‘end of the world sounds’ and the excessive use of pyro, and the result is a sensory overload the band was trying to achieve.”
“I have to hand it to my staff at Vision Fab,” Busch remarked, “we really broke some new ground in the hydraulic drum riser department and the guys performed under some tight delivery times. The band was very pleased.”
A complete second set was constructed for use in Europe, Australia and Japan to accommodate the band’s busy schedule.
