There was once a time when the boys from Slipknot had to push their way onto a stage at a show to play, and the only pyrotechnics they had came from one of them lighting himself on fire. However, on the Cedar Rapids date of the Pledge of Allegiance tour, Slipknot was anything but what it once was.

Besides the masked rockers, System Of A Down, American Head Charge, No One and Rammstein also graced the United Cellular Center for a night of loud, crunching music.

By far the most awaited band of the night was Slipknot. One out of every four kids was wearing the newest Slipknot T-shirt, though most of them weren’t even old enough to drive.

After the usual hour wait for Slipknot to finish its ridiculously extravagant stage set up, the nine-piece band stormed the stage in a fiery entrance.

At certain times it felt as if the band on stage wasn’t composed of the simple people from Des Moines, the ones who claimed time and time again that it was only about the music, but more like a sad mix of Kiss and Styx.

All the stage antics aside, it was nice to hear Slipknot’s older songs like “Eyeless” and the re-vamped version of “Gently” along with some of its new songs, including “The Heretic Anthem”. However, the band excluded its newest single, “Left Behind,” from its set.

Although the entire arena exploded when hearing Slipknot play, the best band to play that night was System Of A Down. Instead of an elaborate stage show, the band settled for a single projection screen that showed various images throughout the show.

Keeping with their tradition of excellent live performances, SOAD began its set with music off its new album “Toxicity” and moved onto older stuff from its self-titled album.

Perhaps the most poignant part of the show was when the band played “Aerials,” in which lead singer Serj Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian showed their expertise in making great rock. However, that moment was rivaled when the band broke into “Sugar,” a song about the evils of American neo-colonialism and globalization.

In events like these, there are always the bands that get victimized by the headliners. Both No One and Rammstein gave scorching performances, which can be taken literally for anyone who has seen Rammstein play live. Although Rammstein’s efforts to impress the audience can be over the top at times, it was worth it to see a 6-foot German come out with a coat covered in flames.