The last week has been filled with shocking twists and turns in the world of Slipknot. From the sudden departure of longtime member Craig Jones to the surprise-release of a new EP, it's been hard keeping up with all the new developments in 'Knot land. Now, there's been another.
Last Wednesday (June 7th), percussionist and conceptualist Shawn "Clown" Crahan announced that he was taking an indefinite leave of absence from Slipknot's live shows to be home with his wife while she battles an illness. Clown didn't specify exactly which shows he'd be missing, but our understanding was that he'd be sitting out all of the Iowa Nine's scheduled gigs for their June European tour (which kicked off last week), as well as the two U.S. festival spots they have on the docket for July.
As we anticipated, Clown was absent for Slipknot's June 7th, 8th and 10th shows in Austria, Czechia and Switzerland, respectively. However, he did make an unexpected and unannounced return to the stage last night (June 11th) for Slipknot's headlining set at Download festival in England.
As many fans and photographers witnessed during the show, Clown was up there banging away on his drums alongside his fellow bandmates, including the as-yet-unnamed person who's ostensibly filling Jones' spot behind the sampler and keyboard decks.
After the show, Clown posted a small video clip on Instagram of him playing with just the caption, "Download 2023," ostensibly confirming that it was actually him up there, not a doppelganger stand-in.
Does this mean Clown is actually back in the Slipknot live lineup for the rest of this tour? We have no idea. He hasn't provided any additional commentary on why he made it to this show but skipped the past three, or when he actually plans to return to the band's touring ensemble full-time.
But he was there last night at Download, and you can watch him doing his thing below.
