What do Paul Simon, Elton John, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joan Baez, and Slayer all have in common? They have all announced that 2018 will usher in the end of touring. Of those artists, one hits particularly hard on the metal community … Slayer … the band that has been consistently active and releasing new material since the early ’80s. Accompanied on their North American tour by heavyweights Testament, Anthrax, Behemoth, and Lamb of God, Slayer clearly intend for their “Final World Tour” to go out in the biggest way possible.
The Sacramento tour stop seemed to get off to a rocky start with Testament’s opening slot being pushed from its original set time to 5:55 pm. Then, as the crew raised the Testament’s backdrop as the band was about to take the stage, the banner became untied and fell where the crew quickly snatched it up. Testament carried on regardless and delivered a crushing set to start the day.
With the show already running behind, Behemoth, Anthrax, and Lamb of God all delivered rapid-fire sets that stuck to the hits and whipped the sold-out crowd of 13,000 into a heavy metal frenzy. The set change between Lamb of God and Slayer coupled with the setting sun gave the crowd a much-needed respite after the non-stop pummeling of the previous four bands. But when the house music shifted from AC/DC to “Delusions of Saviour” as the stage crew tested the pyro, the energy level peaked.
Strolling casually onto the stage, the band quickly launched into “Repentless,” frontman Tom Araya looking slim and smiling broadly as Kerry King and Gary Holt head banged furiously on either side of the stage. And then came the throng of crowd surfers which kept the massive security detail busy as bodies came pouring over the barricade.
The 90 minute set flew by quickly, appropriately covering a wide swath of favorites from the Slayer catalog so no fan would be left out. For those familiar with last year’s tour, the production will look familiar but no less impressive. A wall of flames flanked drummer Paul Bostaph and flames spewed into the air.
There’s no reason to believe that Slayer are going to retire quickly and they certainly won’t do it quietly. As it is, the North American leg of their Final World Tour runs through the end of August at which point the band heads to Europe. Let’s hope for even more Slayer in 2019.
Slayer
Slayer
Slayer
Slayer
Slayer
Slayer
Slayer
Slayer
Slayer
Slayer
Slayer
Slayer
LAMB OF GOD
Lamb of God
Lamb of God
Lamb of God
Lamb of God
Lamb of God
Lamb of God
Lamb of God
Lamb of God
Lamb of God
ANTHRAX
Anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax
BEHEMOTH
Behemoth
Behemoth
Behemoth
Behemoth
Behemoth
Behemoth
Behemoth
Behemoth
Behemoth
TESTAMENT
Testament
Testament
Testament
Testament
Testament
Testament
Testament
Testament
Testament
SLAYER SETLIST
Repentless
Blood Red
Disciple
Mandatory Suicide
Hate Worldwide
War Ensemble
Jihad
When the Stillness Comes
Postmortem
Black Magic
Payback
Seasons in the Abyss
Dittohead
Dead Skin Mask
Hell Awaits
South of Heaven
Raining Blood
Chemical Warfare
Angel of Death
