Corey Taylor Unmasked at the Capital Theatre

Corey Taylor wears many masks and also many hats. He fronts the bands Slipknot and Stone Sour, he has authored multiple books, acts and Sunday night he stripped it down with an intimate acoustic performance in Clearwater, Fl.

Taylor came out on stage to a packed house at the Capital Theatre to the opening notes from Iron Maiden’s  “The Trooper.” The first of three acts consisted of a ten minute discussion on various topics, such as the increase of the popularity of those tiny houses and the people who buy them.  The subject matter was perfect as Taylor compared the tiny houses to the trailers that are a staple in communities throughout Florida.

The second act included a question and answer session with the audience where a lot of great questions were asked.  The first question out of the box was what Taylor thought of the new Stars Wars movie. It set the tone for a roller coaster of emotions as questions instilled responses of a comical, informative and serious nature. An example of the latter was when an audience member asked him why some of the members of Slipknot change their masks from record to record and some don’t. Taylor responded by saying that his masks reflect how he feels at that moment and how he is evolving as a person. Taylor also discussed the 2010 passing of Slipknot bassist Paul Grey and how he is moving towards a day in a more positive, less depressing way in regard to his loss.

 

The best question of the night came when Taylor was asked “how close was he to being the lead singer of Anthrax.” The answer was surprising, as Taylor was a lot closer than anyone expected. But for his label putting the kibosh on his new position, the Anthrax resurgence might have been with Taylor leading the way instead of Joey Belladonna.

The third and final act provided the audience with a blueprint of Corey Taylor’s versatile musical background, influence and talent. He opened with “I’ll be Your Lover, Too” by Van Morrison and one of the songs that put Stone Sour on the map, “Bother.” “Bother” instantly provided the crowd the opportunity to connect and sing with Taylor. It was at the conclusion of this song that security proceeded to enforce a request by Taylor for the fans to put the phones and cameras away and just enjoy the show. It may have seen like an odd request, but for the times we live in, it was refreshing.

The next hour and a half was filled with old school rock classics that included Kiss’ “Hard Luck Woman,” CCR’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” and REM’s “The One I Love.”

Special guest guitarist Christian Martucci from Stone Sour joined Taylor after his stirring rendition of the Foo Fighters’ “Best of You.” The addition of Martucci was a pleasant one as the chemistry between him and Taylor is special. The musicianship was evident as was their friendship as they each kept busting each other’s chops throughout the set.

Other highlights of the evening included the transition between almost playing a Slayer song acoustically and then into the Cure’s “ I Will Always Love You.” Taylor almost gave in to the audience’s request to perform some Slayer songs, but Corey said that Kerry King probably wouldn’t take kind to it.

The entire set didn’t consist of all covers, as Taylor performed Slipknots’ “Snuff” and a number of Stone Sour hits songs, such as  “Tired,” and a bluesy rendition of “30/30-150” which was amazing. These got huge reactions from the crowd.

The encore included another breakthrough Stone Sour hit, “Through Glass” and the duo of Martucci and Taylor closed out the evening with the Eagles’ hit “Take It Easy.” Some of the crowd started to depart as Corey Taylor returned to the stage and performed the Prince classic “Little Red Corvette.” Taylor could have performed “Purple Rain” as he had done in Minneapolis the night of Prince’s passing, but the selection of the more upbeat and fun “Little Red Corvette” sent the crowd home with a smile instead of a frown.

Corey Taylor is loved by many, hated by some, and misunderstood by the masses. His outspoken brashness sometimes overshadows his achievements as an artist but Taylor doesn’t care about that. He only cares about performing for his fans and his affinity for them is evident.

The one thing that you can never question is that no matter what band he is fronting, what stage he is performing on, or what mask he is wearing, Corey Taylor’s talent can’t be denied.  He is the ultimate entertainer and I think all that have witnessed his performances can agree on that.

For more info and future dates: http://www.thecoreytaylor.com/

Setlist:

• I’ll Be Your Lover, Too

(Van Morrison cover)

• Bother

(Stone Sour song)

• Friend of the Devil

(Grateful Dead cover)

• Snuff

(Slipknot song)

• Best of You

(Foo Fighters cover)

• Zzyzx Rd.

(Stone Sour song)

• Have You Ever Seen the Rain

(Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)

• Dying

(Stone Sour song)

• Hard Luck Woman

(KISS cover)

• The Travelers, Pt. 1

(Stone Sour song)

• Tired

(Stone Sour song)

• The One I Love

(R.E.M. cover)

• Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)

(Buzzcocks cover)

• Lovesong

(The Cure cover)

• Farm Song

(Life Sex & Death cover)

• Name

(Goo Goo Dolls cover)

• Folsom Prison Blues / Mystery Train / American Nightmare

Encore:

• 30/30-150

(Stone Sour song)

• The Conflagration

(Stone Sour song)

• Through Glass

(Stone Sour song)

• Take It Easy

(Eagles cover)

• Little Red Corvette

(Prince cover)