Slipknot

I decided to drive to Greensboro tonight to see Slipknot, a band I worked for back in 2001. They were the first band I worked for as a Tour Accountant. I had just quit being a Tour Manager and was trying to decide if I would continue my road career. I was pretty stressed out and ready to kill me some rock star assholes, so it was either quit the road or find something else to do. Their TM at the time was a buddy of mine and he offered me the accounting slot. I took it and never looked back.

It was like my eyes were opened for the very first time. Suddenly, it was fun to be on the road. As a TM, I'd never really had days off – there's always something you need to be doing. Most TM's will tell you, there are show days and non-show days, but no days off. But as a TA, I could do what I wanted on days off. Trust me, that changed everything. Sure, the job didn't pay as well, but the stress just disappeared.

Now, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world and I love my job. A wise man once said, "Find a job that you love and you'll never work a day in your life."

Anyway, a bunch of my roadie buddies are on the crew – Sol, Martin, Ernie, Gary, Shirt, Drew, and Gio – so at the very least, I needed to go hang out and say hello.

My friend Paige likes heavy music, so she humored me and went along. Heavy is one thing, but Slipknot sounds like a bunch of jackhammers and chainsaws. Not sure exactly how much she might have enjoyed it.

After an hour or so of socializing with my friends backstage (thanks for the beers, Sol), we watched their set from the soundboard area out front. Only stayed for about 30-35 minutes of the 'Knot before heading up the road, home to Raleigh.