After nearly four decades of touring, 12 albums of timeless tunes and countless memories, Slayer is hanging up the iconic guitars and calling it quits on a hall of fame worthy run. The band’s illustrious farewell tour is a celebration of what the thrash metal legends have accomplished over the years and the friends they’ve made along the way. So much so that the last hoorah is more or less a fiery, mini metal festival alongside Lamb of God, Anthrax, Behemoth and Testament. With five bands and six hours of music, there’s few other words to describe it.
It’s not everyday that the showtime on a standard concert ticket reads 5 p.m. and it’s even less likely fans show up at the specified time. But as mentioned above, this tour is different in every possible way. Throngs of fans lined the gravel parking lot outside PNC Music Pavilion well in advance of gates opening. The Slayer diehards presumably skipped work to tailgate, belt heavy metal from their sound systems and chant “SLAYER, SLAYER.” Outside the walls of the Pavilion resembled the prefix to a grand event, while inside the show was just getting started.
Testament, Behemoth and Athrax warmed the crowd for the main event, yet each could’ve held their own as the headliner on another day. Testament’s energy and pizzazz stood out while Behemoth’s booming black metal turned heads. Mosh pits opened in the pit and lawn and continued to spin throughout the night. The vitality carried into Anthrax’s set and frontman Joey Belladonna appeared more animated than usual. He darted from stage left to stage right and communicated with fans in the front, signaling his approval for the relentless hand banging. Anthrax, back with more or less an original cast, owned the stage and were as good as they’ve been in recent years.
Lamb of God followed and Randy Blythe’s presence was immediately felt, as he head banged and his dreadlocks whipped through the air, misting the water he just dumped over them. The band rolled through the hits: “Omerta,” “Walk with Me In Hell,” and “Redneck.” Lamb of God didn’t leave a stone unturned and performed as if it was their final tour. Then again, if Slayer asks you to join along for their sendoff, there’s no other way to go about it.
“If you are lucky enough to be invited to play even just once with living legends like Slayer, it’s an incredible honor,” Blythe, the lead singer of the band said in a press release. “Slayer gave Lamb Of God our very first two overseas shows. Slayer have subsequently taken us on several full-length tours, both at home and abroad.
“To be asked to be a part of their final tour—well, it just makes you stop and realize just how lucky you are.”
Then there was Slayer. A black sheet covered the entire front of the stage and was illuminated from behind by the sizzling pyro. As soon as “Delusions of Savior” kicked in, the sheet dropped to unmask the legendary four-piece. Thick plumes of smoke flowed across the stage and the pavilion rose in temperature. Slayer was backed by plenty of pyro and surely pushed the limits of the fire code. So much so that the stage resembled what one might imagine hell to look and feel like, most appropriately during “Hell Awaits.”
Founding members Tom Araya and Kerry King mirrored that of two metal music gods. They flourished in their element, with the heat behind them creating a larger than life appeal. They drove Slayer to the depths of their recorded catalog and the trio of “Blood Red,” “Disciple” and “Mandatory Suicide” early on showcased the band at its very best. There wasn’t a corner of the venue that disagreed. Even fans that stood along the edge of the lawn, proclaimed that Slayer looked and sounded as good as ever from the back. Alongside Araya and King, Gary Holt held his own and paid homage to the late Jeff Hanneman with guitar solos while drummer Paul Bostaph bloomed in the back.
The band’s pentagrams burned through the evening and the near sold out crowd fed off the dynamism. There wasn’t a single moment of fatigue from the fans or band. Slayer appeared as youthful as ever and gave it all to the crowd until the end. The audience’s appreciation was evident as the Pavilion stood for the entire set while waving the metal finger horns and chanting the band’s name over and over. Circle pits didn’t cease and classics “South of Heaven,” “Raining Blood,” “Chemical Warfare” and “Angel of Death” rolled one after another and fused for a flawless finale. And, in the end there weren’t any goodbyes, just a heartfelt “thank you” from Araya before Slayer walked off the stage for the final time in the Queen City.
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