The Slayer Farewell Tour hit Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater Saturday afternoon and even at 3pm the place was so packed you could instantly tell this would be one fantastic night.

First, to hit the stage was Napalm Death. Playing “When All is Said and Done”, “Suffer the Children” and even a Dead Kennedy’s cover “Nazi Punks F*** Off”. Firing up the crowd in preparation for Testament to take it to the next level. 

Once Testament walks from side stage and into full view, everyone screams with excitement as they launch their first song “Brotherhood of the Snake” and right into “Rise Up”. Ending their set with “Over the Wall” which had everyone heading closer to the front as their set wrapped up.

Anthrax was next up. Scott Ian is well known in this band and you can see why as he entertains the crowd as he slays the guitar. Leading in with a “Cowboy’s From Hell” intro that quickly morphed into “Caught in a Mosh”, which sent the fans straight into mosh mode. When “Antisocial” started playing, there were so many people crowd surfing, you could not tell where general population ended and VIP began! The stage was flooded with them as they came in waves.

Next to break, the stage was Lamb of God. Chris Adler should be given countless awards for his stellar drumming. His capability on drums is hard to compare to anyone else out there and the growling vocals of Randy Blythe make this band an unstoppable powerhouse. Unleashing the fury opening with “Omerta” they did not miss a beat when sliding right into “Walk With Me in Hell” and “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For”, which happens to be one of my personal favs. HOLY SHIZA, I love this band! So happy to see them on tour with Slayer for this final tour.

Last but certainly not least….. SLAYER. The name alone strikes fear in parents all around the globe. Their biggest fear is seeing their kid run out of their bedroom, devil horns in the air rocking out to some of the most epic metal there is…. However, here tonight are all those kids, all grown up to witness the legend that is Slayer on their final US tour. Playing nearly every single one of their hits like “Repentless”, “War Ensemble”, “Mandatory Suicide” and “Silent Scream” I did not see anyone in the crowd sitting down. After such a long day, I was surprised to see everyone standing and singing along or dancing. I was on cloud 9, love seeing them and a little bittersweet to see them this one last time.

One of metals most popular and influential music outfits of the past four decades, announced their farewell via a 30 second video clip. One last tour Tom said. The reason for the retirement, Tom says its so he can finally have the freedom to spend time with his family and children, something he really hasn’t been able to do over the years of being in the spotlight.

After seeing this tour, I would have to say I was impressed by how much talent these guys possess. If you have ever tried to triple pick a guitar or bass, then you would know exactly what I mean. From the front rows, you could feel the heat as the pyrotechnics went off illuminating the stage from afar and creating such a perfect contrast to the music playing from the megawatt speakers held high above. If you have a chance to see them on any of the dates remaining on their farewell tour, I would highly suggest you take this opportunity to indulge in seeing these rock gods in action. Check out their website to see where you can find them next! https://www.slayer.net/

Closing out the night they played “Raining Blood” flowed right into “Chemical Warfare” and ending with “Angel of Death”. And that’s all folks, no bugs bunny, no carrots, no just kidding we really aren’t retiring …. just fin. I hope that they will come back.

We wish them all the best regardless if they never take the stage again… but here is to hoping they come back for at least one more round! I am sure there are many who would love to see them on tour another time or two.

Check out the website to find out where the tour is taking them next and stay tuned for our individual coverage of not only Slayer, but Lamb of God as well! Till next time……

Ciao,

Bella

Photos by Teddy G / Xposer Photography