Slipknot’s Clown out of Australian tour after family emergency

Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan
Shawn \u2018Clown\u2019 Crahan (Image credit: Getty)

Slipknot co-founder Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan has pulled out of the band’s Australian tour after the death of his father-in-law.

The band played Brisbane’s Entertainment Centre last night, with frontman Corey Taylor explaining to fans why the percussionist wasn’t on stage with them.

He told the crowd (via Music Feeds): “First things first, as you can see we are missing one of our brothers. Unfortunately Clown was forced to go home for a family emergency.

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“He couldn’t get out of it but he sends his fucking love to each and every one of you. He wanted to be here more than anything but he told us all to make sure you motherfuckers knew.”

Crahan later gave more details on Instagram, and paid tribute to his late father-in-law.

He said: “Today we lost the leader of our family. My father-in-law – my other dad. I’m am so very lucky to have known him. He is one of my favourite people in this world and I learned so much from him. I love you Mr. Noyes. Life will never be the same without you.”

He added: “This man supported my decision to chase music as a career three years before I started the band with Paul Gray. Asking him to marry his daughter was one of the highlights of my life. He loved Slipknot and had seen us all over the world.”

Slipknot mounted Clown’s mask behind his kit for the duration of the show, along with a floral tribute.

Slipknot are on the road in support of their 2014 album .5: The Gray Chapter. They have a handful of shows lined up going forward, including Knotfest Japan on November 5 and 6 in Tokyo.

A photo posted by on

Slipknot remaining tour dates 2016

Oct 29 Sydney Qudos Bank Arena , Australia
Oct 31 Melbourne Rod Laver Arena, Australia
Nov 03: Taipei New Taipei City Exhibition Hall, Taiwan
Nov 05-06: Tokyo Knotfest, Japan

Corey Taylor: Clown’s not changing his name

Watch trailer for Slipknot man Clown’s film Officer Downe

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Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more for Louder. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, The Tragically Hip, Marillion and Rush.

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