LIVE(STREAM) REVIEW: Corey Taylor @ The Forum, Los Angeles

This promises to be one of the livestreams of the year. From the moment COREY TAYLOR announced he was recording a solo album, the attention of all SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR fans instantly transfixed on a man who has proved himself a legend of the metal world. Tonight, with debut release CMFT only a day old, he performs it in full at the legendary Forum in Los Angeles with a full backing band, along with a number of tunes from his more well known outfits.

With a one hour pre-show and introduction from a mask-wearing Jack Black done and dusted, the man of the moment walks out in a scarlet blazer, brandishing a cherry-red guitar and launches straight in HWY 666, the opening track from his debut as CO2 jets blast up around the stage. He might bear a passing resemblance to a Butlins redcoat, but this ain’t a show for the whole family – this is a rock extravaganza that gatecrashes any Top 5 Livestreams list those viewing have compiled so far. Firstly, every song off CMFT sounds ridiculously big, which is remarkable given the variety on show. Everybody Dies on My Birthday and European Tour Bus Bathroom Song are played at lightning speed, delivering two quick jabs to the senses whilst a one-two combo of Black Eyes Blue and Samantha’s Gone add some hefty hooks in for good measure; the latter, by the way, has a chorus so colossal it wouldn’t be a surprise the whole of Los Angeles didn’t hear it.

Then, there’s Home and Zzyzx Rd, which feature Corey playing piano for the first ever time in a live setting and pack emotion, heart and genuine humility. Of course, there are a few covers dotted here and there, but the only SLIPKNOT song to make the cut is Snuff and the STONE SOUR tracks number less than five, however they fit the atmosphere and don’t drop the momentum at all. By the time CMFT Must Be Stopped brings things to a raucous close – Corey and his bandmates flanked by alternative dance troupe The Cherry Bombs, there’s no question that tonight has been a riproaring success.

For Corey himself, this represents the achievement of a personal milestone, and he’s not about to let the circumstances affect him in any way. “Look at all you people here tonight, there’s so many!” he yells prior to Halfway Down – the statement might be firmly tongue-in-cheek, but the reality is Corey is playing as if he were to a packed out room and he’s lapping up every moment. There’s also something different about him tonight – unlike when he’s performing with his more notable bands or even a solo acoustic show, he displays a freedom and ease that usually wouldn’t come into his onstage presence. The reason, quite simply, is he’s having an absolute blast on that Forum stage and it’s so infectious that he’s sweeping up everyone in virtual attendance with him.

Whether people like his album or not isn’t an issue for COREY TAYLOR – he’s reached that point in his career where such thoughts are frivolous and unimportant. All he’s concerned about is getting as much enjoyment out of his creativity as possible before he calls it a day and, in a setting where he’s called all the shots leading up to it, he’s taken the bull by both horns and wrestled it into submission. When he can do this in front of an audience, it’s going to be nothing short of magical. CMFT Must Be Stopped? As the song goes onto say, CMFT CAN’T be stopped.

Rating: 9/10