I happen to dig Slayer.

[wickedflea]

Wow, I figured my legs would be killing me today from the Slayer show last night. I actually feel fine, though. I was standing on a little ledge coming out from the wall at the side of the club, which would have been OK except for the fact that the crowd was so thick that I was pushed backward toward the wall, so it was like I was leaning back the whole time, and I had to keep my feet turned sideways. I actually had one of the best vantage points in the place, though, because I could see over the whole crowd and I didn't have to worry about getting trampled.



I still can't believe I saw Slayer in a club. The scene was just as crazy and violent as I thought it might be. The whole place was a seething, spiraling frenzy. I kept looking around to see where someone might be able to take a breather, but there was nowhere.

One really strange thing about Toad's Place -- and I don't know if they do this for all all-ages shows or just for Slayer -- is that they had this chain-link fence about ten feet high going down the middle of the club to separate the over-21 crowd from the underagers. Very strange. Needless to say, it lasted about three songs before the crowd had the fucker torn almost completely down. Slayer ended up having to stop playing for about ten minutes while the staff removed the fence before anyone got trapped beneath it or beaten over the head with it or something.

Crazy, crazy scene, but totally worth it. In spite of the more cheesy and/or ridiculous aspects of Slayer, they remain one of the tightest and most powerful bands on the planet. And Dave Lombardo, their original drummer, is playing with them just for this one leg of the tour, and that makes them all the better. You could watch just that guy for the whole show and be totally blown away. Favorite part of the show: Postmortem > Raining Blood > Hell Awaits. Sick, I tell ya, sick.

Miscellany:

-Opening act Hatebreed sucked. So-called hardcore/metal crossover that was totally monotonous and boring. Crowd loved them, but the band is from CT, so that probably had something to do with it.

-I never thought I'd see woo-girls onstage with Slayer, but two chicks (one wearing neon pink leather pants w/ a fishnet top, the other wearing some kind of silver sequined deal) somehow managed their way onstage during "Dead Skin Mask" and spent several songs at the side of the stage shaking their groove thangs like it was the Girls, Girls, Girls tour. Surreal. What was really funny was that when the show ended, they tried to latch onto Jeff Hanneman and he dodged the fuck out of them.

setlist:

Disciple
War Ensemble
At Dawn They Sleep
Stain Of Mind
Postmortem
Raining Blood
Hell Awaits
Die By The Sword
Born Of Fire
Bloodline
God Sent Death
Dead Skin Mask
Seasons
Payback
Mandatory Suicide
Chemical Warfare
South Of Heaven
Angel of Death

Comments

[lunchboxface.livejournal.com]

Okay, I think I would have had an anxiety attack or some shit, I will skip the concert although it sounds badass as fuck. The last show of an even remotely similar fanbase I went to was Ministry, and it fucking sucked because of the crowd, and the way they acted. I just cannot enjoy myself around that many metal assholes, especially when they are touching me (a pet peeve of mine which bodes badly for rock concerts). Glad you had a good time though, eagerly looking forward to the mix CD.

[wickedflea.livejournal.com]

Yeah, those Ministry crowds can be pretty crazy too. The only time I saw them was at Lollapalooza, and I thought I was going to die. I'm really glad I found that spot on the ledge last night. Otherwise I probably would have had to leave, because I too am suceptible to freaking out when the only thing on my mind is staying on my feet so I don't get killed.

Plus, I bet those Texas metalheads bring shotguns and shit.