Photos by Johne Edge
The Scene: Do you remember a time when you cranked the stereo up as loud as you could get away with to drown out the world and wallow in your teen angst? I’m talking real angst, not that John Hughes stuff portrayed in the movies. A time when Motley Crue was shouting at the devil because Satan could no longer hear them, having been deafened by the emergence of thrash metal? In the 80’s thrash metal bands began ditching complex arrangements and long songs in favor of stripped down, hardcore punk influenced song structures. Two of the genre’s biggest names, Slayer and Anthrax, invaded The Fillmore and it was one hell of a night!
Anthrax: It’s hard to think of a band that has been around for thirty-five year as an opener, but who better for a show of this magnitude than one of the “Big Four” thrash metal bands, the others being Metallica, Megadeth, and tonight’s headliner Slayer. The core of the band, Scott Ian guitarist, Charlie Benante percussion, and Frank Bello on bass guitar has remained basically intact since 1984. With Joey Belladonna joining the band for his third stint as lead vocalist, the band could not have been any tighter. They played a blistering ten song set that included “You Gotta Believe,” “Anti Social,” and Indians.” A perfect beginning to the night.
Slayer: As the audience waited for Slayer to take the stage spinning pentagrams and inverted crosses danced across the front of the stage. The sign to the side of the stage read, “Attention: Due to the nature of moshing/surfing and the injuries that can occur from such activities, moshing/surfing is strictly prohibited. Patrons participating in moshing/surfing activities do so at their own risk and are subject to ejection from the venue.” I’m not sure if the signs were too small, people were too inebriated to read, or they just did not care, but as the stage was flooded with red light and guitarist Kerry King (looking like Beelzebub himself) began to play the first notes of “Repentless” the pit began swirling and never stopped.
This was my first Slayer show since the death of guitarist and founding member Jeff Hanneman in 2013. In my opinion Gary Holt from Exodus did a great job in his stead and I think Jeff would look down or up from where he is now and be proud. From 9:30 to curfew, bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and the rest of the band took the audience on a helter skelter journey exploring material like Nazis, warfare, anti-religious themes, and serial killers. With thirty-five plus years and twelve albums there was no shortage of songs to choose from.
With everyone throwing horns in the air, the ban ended the show with a four song encore. Playing “South of Heaven,” “Raining Blood,” “Black Magic,” and “Angel of Death.” Damn I love Slayer, and I don’t think I will ever turn the stereo down.
Energy: A+
Musicianship: A
Sound: A
Stage Presence: A+
Set/Light Show: A
Overall: A
+ There are no comments
Add yours