SLIPKNOT and EVANESCENCE were forced to cancel their appearances at the first day of the Knotfest Meets Forcefest in Mexico City Saturday night (November 30) due to a security issue. According to reports, the stage barricade broke during BEHEMOTH's set and it was impossible to fix it in time for either of the two final bands to perform.

A short time later, SLIPKNOT released a statement about the cancelation. They said: ""Due to unforeseen circumstances, SLIPKNOT were not able to perform at last night's Knotfest.

"Security barricades became an issue, and it was decided that for the safety of the fans, neither SLIPKNOT or special guests EVANESCENCE could take the stage.

"We had hoped to be able to perform today, but regrettably, a situation arose onstage after the cancellation that damaged or destroyed gear that would have been necessary to play.

"We are extremely disappointed that we did not get the chance to perform, but the safety of our fans and our community is our biggest priority. We will look to get back to Mexico sometime in the future."

In a video message, EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee said: "Mexico City, we are so, so disappointed that we didn't get our chance to play for you tonight at Knotfest. The last couple of bands didn't get to play because of a safety issue with the barricades and it wasn't something that could be fixed. We are so sorry. We love you so much. We were waiting there, just like you, hoping that we would get our chance, but it didn't work out tonight. I don't know how, but somehow we are going to make it up to you. We love you so much. We'll see you next time."

Some fans at the festival apparently reacted angrily at the cancelation, storming the stage and destroying equipment, including EVANESCENCE's gear (see video below).

"It literally breaks my heart to see @evanescence equipment being destroyed at #knotfest. To the people who went on to destroy their equipment, you're a bunch of cowards. Malditos perros!," tweeted one fan, while another added, "This doesn't represent metalheads nor mexicans. Only fucking morons that can't behave properly."

The first-ever Knotfest Meets Forcefest is being held over two days at the Parque Deportivo Oceanía venue. This year, Knotfest joined forces with Forcefest, combining two massive festival brands over one weekend. The Knotfest day was scheduled to take place on Saturday, with Forcefest happening on Sunday, December 1, headlined by Rob Zombie.

Knotfest is the brainchild of SLIPKNOT and the band's longtime manager, Cory Brennan of 5B Artists And Media. Started in 2012, the brand has grown at an exponential rate and already seen expansion across the globe to Tokyo, Mexico City, France, Bogotá and, of course, the USA. With big plans to expand into further new territories in 2020, the cultural phenomenon that Knotfest has created shows no signs of slowing down.

SLIPKNOT is continuing to tour in support of its sixth studio album, "We Are Not Your Kind", which was released in August via Roadrunner Records.

