Equipment such as LED units and Martin Atomic 3000 Strobes were used on the rig, and instead of a media server, the GrandMA mixing console was used for MA Lighting.

Supporting acts throughout the tour included Disturbed, DragonForce, Mastodon, Machine Head, Children of Bodom, Coheed and Cambria, Trivium, 3 Inches of Blood, DevilDriver, The Black Dahlia Murder, and Sydonia.

Late in the tour Vachon would add additional bursts of color, which included intense oranges, reds, and violets.

The Meyer P.A., which accumulates 16 MILO seat boxes, nine Nexo CD-18 subwoofers, and six flown HP700s on the ground per side, was provided by Thunder Audio.

During the opening date of the Mayhem Festival 2008 on July 9 at Auburn, Washington, turntablist Sid Wilson broke both of his heels after jumping from an elevated area of the stage and landing incorrectly.

[16] On August 22, at Leeds Festival during the Dropkick Murphys performance, a plane flew above the open air crowd advertising tickets for Slipknot's UK dates in December.

[23] The band travelled with over 11 tons of equipment, including hydraulic drum risers, percussionist rigs, pyrotechnics, lighting and stage set-ups.

[23] During an interview prior to the band's first show of this leg, vocalist Corey Taylor revealed that he had sprained his thumb the day before while sky-diving; however, the injury did not prevent him from performing.

[26] He also declared percussionist Crahan the "most menacing member of Slipknot", noting that in a "particularly violent" version of "Duality" he "appeared pleased to play his part in the song by violating an empty keg with a baseball bat.

[27] Kara also commented upon the connection the fans had with the show, saying that in songs like "The Heretic Anthem" Taylor "hardly needs to sing" due to the involvement of the audience.

[27] The opening date of the European leg of the tour was to have been the first time in Slipknot's history that would perform in Israel,[29] but due to "sudden personal and family conflicts" the band canceled their appearance.

prior to their appearances in the UK, percussionist Crahan expressed excitement for the upcoming dates, saying, "There's always been a deep love and affection between the British fans and ourselves.

"[33] Machine Head did not perform in Copenhagen on November 13, due to frontman Robb Flynn's "severe throat and bronchial infection.

"[34] On December 12, in Sheffield, Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel collapsed on stage during their second to last song, forcing his band to cancel their appearances at the European leg's final two dates.

[36] When reviewing Slipknot's show in Düsseldorf, Sebastian Huhn called Shawn Crahan's hydraulic percussion platform as a highlight of the performance.

He said, "The choreographed chaos is too multi-faceted to fully describe", and noted that Taylor's performance made songs like "Before I Forget" and "Psychosocial" sound better than on the recorded versions.

[40] When reviewing one of the Hammersmith Apollo shows, Rick Pearson of the Evening Standard wrote that there was "a strong feeling of camaraderie" at the concert.

"[41] Adrian Osmond of Western Mail said that their show in Cardiff was "a pretty flawless, colourful and exciting piece of musical theatre", adding that on entertainment value it would "rival any of the pantomimes out there this month.

[44] During their show on January 25 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, a member of the audience collapsed from a heart attack and was later declared dead in hospital.

"[47] Conner noted that due to their large line-up "a few [members] can take a song or two off to entertain the fans,"[47] citing events like percussionist Chris Fehn mocking a security guard, DJ Sid Wilson destroying a part of Fehn's drumkit, and Shawn Crahan's hydraulic drumkit with camera-operated screen as particular examples.

"[48] She noted that throughout their ten years together they have "honed a show of ferocious, squealing intensity; an unholy racket full of adolescent rage and goofy humor under a phalanx of moving and flashing lights.

"[52] Describing vocalist Corey Taylor's performance, he said, "Despite his manic energy [he] managed to keep his vocals tightly controlled, alternating between furious screaming and melodic passages".

"[53] He also said, "For the most part, Slipknot kept the energy high" and added that tracks like "Dead Memories" and "Vermilion" were the only moments "which served as breathers.

[54] Cedar Rapids While reviewing their show on May 3, 2009, at the Van Andel Arena, Troy Reimink made a point of Crahan's absence, suggesting that while it could have seriously disrupted the tour, it seemed like "merely a bump in the road for Slipknot.

"[60] Nollen made a note of their on-stage antics saying that "it's rather entertaining as they lumber across the stage and climb on each other's percussion stations like baboons from hell.

"[60] Citing the singles "Before I Forget" and "Psychosocial" as particular highlights of the setlist, she concluded her review by saying that the "final visual punch" of drummer Joey Jordison's kit raising, tipping and rotating above the stage was like "a demented version of an Adventureland ride.

"[62] Towards the end of the leg, Fehn left the tour due to a "tragic death in his family", which forced him to miss the final two dates in Spain.

Greg Cochrane, writing for the BBC, championed Slipknot as "spectacular headliners", explaining: "Flame throwers, pneumatic drum kits and mass screaming, it has it all.

"[67] Metal Hammer reviewer Ted Bezer called it "arguably the greatest headline performance of the Download era", adding, "Slipknot absolutely destroyed 70,000 people in a way that it didn't seem was possible.

[73] On August 22, 2009, Slipknot canceled their appearance at the KISW Pain In The Grass event due to Jordison being rushed to hospital hours before their set was scheduled to start.