The last time I wrote a live show review it was for Slayer during their farewell tour. It seems only fitting that my next review would be Slayer’s return to stage a few years later.
When the Slayer reunion shows news broke I, like most of you, was a surprised to see some reunion shows pop up. I’m a big fan of Riot Fest and hearing that NOFX would play as part of their farewell tour, the ticket was an easy sell.
Slayer returned to Main stage on the last evening of the festival alongside acts NOFX (their 3rd and final performance of the weekend) and Sublime playing on the other stages. Rain had plagued the sets earlier in the day and seemed to return as Slayer was about to perform. Many fans were hoping for a downpour so that Slayer would truly “Reign in Blood.” Fortunate enough for us we didn’t get the downpour fans were hoping for and the rain remained light.
Before Slayer returned to the stage they showed a little video. It was fun at first as it really geared up people’s excitement. Then it continued.
And continued.
The wait for Slayer was intense as we were now watching what seemed like a VHI Behind The Music episode. After what seemed like an eternity, the curtain dropped and there was FUCKIN” SLAYER! Starting out with “South of Heaven,” they continued their much missed musical assault with, “Reborn,” and continued with hits from their entire catalog.
The set used plenty of pyro including two burning upside down crosses on each side of the stage. Upping their stagehow theatrics, the band had neon looking red “rain drops ” that fell on the stage during “Reign in Blood,”
Singer Tom Araya who’s never been known to take much time address the audience said after the first few songs,”So did you miss us?” As the crowd erupted in cheers and shouts of “SLAYER!” Tom smiled and said, “We missed you too,”
The performance was tight as hell. Kerry King and Gary Holt havent missed a thing. Seeing two of my favorite Slayer songs, “Jihad,” and “Seasons in the Abyss,” played back to back was nothing short of incredible. This along with a rare performance of “213” made an incredible show.
I’m not sure how many more shows Slayer has planned in their future but if you get the chance to see them again don’t miss it. Sometimes you don’t realize how much you miss something until it’s gone.