Raise your hand if you are ready for THE SHELL 2.0 Tour!
In October of 2017, Frédérik Durand, better Called SNAILS, attracted Sluggtopia into Red Rocks Amphitheater for the first time. 2017 declared his first time headlining Red Rocks, which intended exercising control over his set. He debuted a brand new stage and sparked his record that was released soon afterwards, THE SHELL.
The event last year sold out and was a massive hit not only amongst the Vomitsquad however headbangers and snare lovers. In the moment the show stopped and Durand walked offstage, fans were hoping for a second edition of this festival the following year. SNAILS didn’t hesitate to grant everyone’s wishes and announced Sluggtopia II in January of the year.
Having gone this past year, I absolutely had to go this season as well to delight in the new lineup, new music, and also the holographic stage that SNAILS’ team had told me about beforehand. That afternoon, I went ahead and checked the weather. Rain, wind, and a low of 40°F were all in the forecast, but that didn’t stop me. If you’ve never had a chance to attend a show at Red Rocks in the rain and cold, you’re definitely missing out. After getting dressed in my warm clothes, hoodie and raincoat, I headed to the venue.
Pulling into the parking lots at Red Rocks is one of my favorite things ever. As you near the venue, you get to see the beautiful rock formations and amphitheater from a distance before getting in a line of cars that are then directed into a dirt lot. The clouds were low and there was a slight drizzle, so everyone getting out of their cars were bundled up in leggings, hats, and SNAILS hoodies. Some people even had onesie pajamas on over everything – a popular choice of attire in the fall at Red Rocks.
Once I got inside the venue, my first stop was the official merchandise booth on the lower end of the amphitheater. SNAILS had previewed new merchandise on Twitter that afternoon, so I was prepared to do some shopping. Some items would be available on the rest of the tour, but others were exclusive to Sluggtopia II.
One of the first things that I always do when I get to Red Rocks (aside from getting merch) is walk all the way up the 380 steps to the top of the amphitheater. At the top of the venue, there is a small indoor visitor center that holds restrooms, a gift shop, and the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. This hallway has plaques up along both sides listing every single show and performer that’s ever graced the world famous stage. A few signed pictures are up as well. The top of the venue is also home to a few bars, food vendors, another merch area, and one of the best views in the Denver Metro Area.
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As the sky darkened and the amphitheater filled with bass heads, eight artists took the stage and performed heavy, energizing sets. Openers included UBUR, MONXX, SVDDEN DEATH, SPAG HEDDY B2B DUBLOADZ, FUNTCASE B2B COOKIE MONSTA (my favorite set of the night not including SNAILS), and SPACE JESUS.
SVDDEN DEATH might have had one of the most memorable entrances of the night by walking out on stage with a lampshade on his head as a nod to the recent moth meme that went viral. During Space Jesus’ group, he brought out Zeke Beats and Conrank for a special B2B since they will soon be setting off a North American tour.
At length, even though the headbangers including myself was raging for hours it had been time for SNAILS. Before he came out onstage, I caught myself wondering that he’d deliver out as a guest, what songs he’d play, and also what the visuals will look like. There wasn’t a changeover so I understood the stage itself would remain the same. Different from last season’s SHELL stage, this has been a traditional design with two large square displays (one before and one behind SNAILS).
During his set, SNAILS played a lot of thick riddim and snare throughout the PK audio systemmaking each one the headbangers content. Of course, he played classics like”WFSU” with Waka Flocka Flame along with”The Anthem” accomplishment. Liam Cormier & Travis Richter, but he also played some of his newest tracks like”Magnets” together with Zeds Dead along with Akylla. At one stage, SNAILS even attracted out Boulder, Colorado locals Big Gigantic.
The visuals he used for his collection had been fresh new, with futuristic-looking videos and images playing throughout the set. A lot of lights surrounding the stage changed colours and shined out on the crowd, with the CO2 burst chucked in for good measure. Rain and the low clouds made visuals and these effects much more spooky and exciting, adding to the occasion that was invigorating.
A few days later Sluggtopia II came to a conclusion, Durand took to Twitter to thank everyone for coming out and also to share he felt. 1 interesting tidbit that he did share was in regards to the creation for this night. He also wrote:
. . .Unfortunately like you men watched the weather wasn’t perfect and we had been forced to take the holographic wall part down. We did everything we could to make it function but this technology is very sensitive to wind and rain. BUT for we have the wall on the rest of the tour and it’s gonna look INSANE!!!
After seeing videos from the first few dates of THE SHELL 2.0 Tour, I will 100% vouch for that. For the setup that’ll be for the rest of the tour in place, there’ll be an extra video wall set up facing the booth where SNAILS is. This screen has visuals together with the display screen you would expect to see, so making the visuals look extremely 3D all. That is something that we have never seen before and is super revolutionary. If you are fortunate enough to find SNAILS on a few of the dates, then you are in for a wild ride.
This tour strikes a large number of towns in North America and Canada before ending on November 15th at Texas. Hekler, SVDDEN DEATH, and UBUR will support SNAILS with this tour run. Confirmed guests dates include 12th Planet, Kill The Noise, Liquid Stranger, Cookie Monsta, along with VOYD. For tickets to all of the below dates, see SNAILS’ website.
Overall, Sluggtopia II was an absolutely amazing experience – just like last year. The event was organized very nicely, without any unnecessary gaps between places, etc.. The collections flowed together and maintained the energy in the venue up all of the way until the encore finished. Despite the rain, wind, and cold, the Vomitsquad was able to headbang endlessly to their tracks. Walking back into my vehicle, I was able to hear everyone around me talking about how much fun they had while. I strongly recommend this event series! It is highly worth it, if you have to travel.
I think it’s safe to say we love to see SNAILS yield to Red Rocks for its year. Who’s with me?
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