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Fans React to Slipknot Parting Ways With Craig Jones
Slipknot fans got quite the surprise Wednesday afternoon (June 7) when it was revealed that the band had parted ways with longtime keyboardist and sampler Craig Jones.
The group’s statement didn’t offer much insight, as the band explained, “To our fans, Slipknot is announcing that we have parted ways with Craig Jones. We wish Jones all the best for the future.”
UPDATE: Slipknot have since deleted their statement. Read more here.
Further making the move curious is that the statement arrived as Slipknot were set to take the stage this evening (June 7) at the Nova Rock Festival in Nickelsdorf, Austria. Earlier in the day, it was revealed that percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan would be sitting out the group’s current tour in order to tend to his wife who was dealing with “some health issues.” Neither Clown’s comments or Jones’ dismissal addressed who would be filling the vacancies within the group.
READ MORE: Slipknot’s Clown to Sit Out Upcoming Tour Dates, Issues Statement
As you might expect, the announcement yielded plenty of head scratching and surprise amongst the band’s fans. “Slipknot firing Craig Jones is so fucking insane. Come on, lmao,” wrote one fan. “Damn this sucks. Craig’s sampling is what absolutely cemented their early work in stone,” noted another.
Meanwhile, others downplayed Jones’ contributions. “Craig Jones was an integral part of #Slipknot but yall need to stop fake missing him like yall really checked for him everytime you heard a Slipknot song? Really? Fa realsies tho!?!,” stated one person.
See some of the commentary on Craig Jones’ split with Slipknot on social media below.
Meanwhile, you can head to the Slipknot website to see all of the band’s upcoming shows as they continue to support last year’s album The End, So Far and get your tickets here.