Well, one of the shows I really wanted to see has been cancelled.
Slipknot and Black Dahlia Murder was suppose to play the E Center in West Valley on Aug. 29.
However, the nine guys of Slipknot announced that date, as well as the whole tour, has been cancelled due to the hospitalization of drummer Joey Jordison.
Details of Joey's ailment were not disclosed, but apparently, according to various news outlets, the drummer, whose band moniker is "No. 1," is expected to make a full recovery.
Refunds for the Slipknot show are available at all points of purchase, the E Center box office and Ticketmaster.
This is the second time the band has had to cancel a Salt Lake show. The last time they were in town (2005), it was bassist Paul Gray, known as "No. 2" to Knot fans, who became ill. He spent a few days in the University Hospital.
Anyway, before the latest cancelation, I was able to speak with Gray about coming to Utah. And, other than being a super nice guy, the man loves our pretty great state.
Here are some excerpts of the interview that was conducted via telephone late last month from his home in Des Moines, Ia.
— "I love Salt Lake. I have some friends there. I have friends who have houses in Salt Lake and Park City."
— "I like the mountains and the fact that you guys have all four seasons. In Iowa, we have the four seasons, but you guys have activities for every season." He continued to talk about biking, snowboarding, skiiing and swimming.
— "I have been thinking of buying a loft there. I remember some for sale by the Gateway. And I think that'd be pretty cool to live there and go up in the winter and snowboard."
— "You guys live in a beautiful place."
And just for you fans like me, Gray said he would like to someday do a gig that will make every one of the band's fans happy.
"But with each CD, it gets harder to make up our live show," Gray said. "There are some songs we have to play and some that we just can't.
"I mean if we play 'Scissors' and 'Iowa,' that's 30 minutes right there. But we do practice other songs in case we want to throw them in, but we, for sure, have to play 'Surfacing,' 'Wait and Bleed,' 'Spit It Out' and "People =."
"What I would really like to do is play a set list comprised of people's requests from the audience."
Well, the next time the band does make it back to Utah, I'd like to see Gray convince the rest of the nine to do just that.
That, my friends, would be a killer show.
Get better soon Joey.