Ok, update time. It is now 1:46 am on Nov. 12, happy birthday to me. Now let's get to it...


SLAYER CONCERT REVIEW


I just got home from the Slayer show. All I can say is WOW. One of my favorite moments all year. Finally got around to seeing a metal show, and it was worth every penny. I haven't been that giddy in years.

Drew and I showed up at 8-ish, and as soon as we got near the front doors we knew we were in for a wild night. There were guys without shirts on that had Slayer tattoos covering their entire back, a bunch of people shouting and being generally rowdy; all the things you'd expect to see at a big metal concert. As soon as we stepped in the front doors we heard Hatebreed (one of the opening bands) doing a soundcheck. I was like a kid in a candy shop. After getting a Slayer shirt, we heard them starting their first song on the way to the stairs to get to our seats. There was no avoiding it now: metal was on its way.

We made our way up the stairs and into the balcony area. We saw one more short stairway and around the corner of that was the arena. It took all I had to keep from giggling. I led the way up the staircase, and the booming was getting louder, more intense. I get to the top step and turn the corner and *WHAM!* I couldn't bring myself to move from that spot, I had to just stand there for a minute and soak it all in. The massive, crashing sound engulfed me and I could see the entire crowd on the pit floor moving as one, like a living blanket. My eyes moved from that awesome sight to the stage, where I saw Hatebreed for the first time. Yes it's cliche, but they were really rockin' the house. There's just no other way to say it. Jamie Jasta, the singer, was summoning these primal, gutteral growls that naturally drew your focus to him. He was jumping and stomping around with confidence, looking like a veteran of the music world. I just stood there for a minute, tapping my foot and getting into the beat of the song. When I finally convinced myself to move, we made our way down to our seats, almost right in front of the railing, a great view. Hatebreed played another 30 minutes or so, and proved to be a nice compliment to the headlining band. In contrast to Slayer's sometimes lightning quick chaos, Hatebreed uses a more thick, crashing beat. Almost like comparing a machine gun to a cannon. Jasta was very crowd oriented, frequently thanking everyone for being so supportive, and making sure everyone got into the song. Every band should have such a great opening act.

They left the stage, and we all knew the moment we were waiting for was just a few minutes away. Drew and I talked about what we'd say if we saw Mr. Shorb down in the pit. Then we discussed how we should have brought Petrus and Raymond to the show. We noticed a woman that looked like she was about 50, in very "mom-ish" looking clothes, and wondered how many parents were at the show with their kids, trying to bond with them. After a bit of the mandatory "people watching" that must be done at every concert, it happened.

All the house lights went black and only some dark stage lights remained. The crowd erupted into a deafening, shattering roar that I didn't think the building would be able to contain. The pinnacle moment of euphoria for any fan of metal, we all knew that Slayer was coming. I did my part and added everything I could to the roar. Some intro music from a CD started, and from that I instantly knew what the first song would be. They ripped into the first chord and the audience went absolutely insane. I, being a generally calm and laid back person, loved the sudden anarchy. I stomped the beat of the song into the floor like my life depended on it, and I could feel that everyone else on the balcony was doing the same. Myself and the guy next to me were both bobbing our heads and pumping our fists to the distinctive thump of the song. Both of us understanding that the other was clearly familiar with the song, we shot each other a quick grin and went on with our air drumming as if the show would stop without it. Slayer completely tore through the audience with the sonic chaos, I'd never heard a show so loud; and this from a person who's been going to rock shows for 7 or 8 years. After the stage lights became brighter, the backdrop of an archaic looking cathedral became visible. It just wouldn't be metal without creepy old cathedrals, now would it? Slayer blasted their way through a few more familiar songs and a few I didn't know, but there wasn't a bad song in the set.

As the show went on, I noticed something but I thought I was just imagining things. But soon I realized my instincts were right: the show was getting LOUDER. That never happens! Well it did. The rumbling, intensified by the fact that we were all on a balcony not attached to the ground, was shaking our feet and our seats. Every single bass kickdrum beat was rattling my brain in my head. You could feel the sheer volume in the pit of your stomach. My ears, already battered by Hatebreed, were starting to go numb. That hasn't happened since my first concert when I was 15. I was thoroughly impressed.

The show completely embodied cool. Watching the band was just as enjoyable as hearing the band, which isn't always true at a concert. Slayer moved as a unit, looking almost like a formation. The singer waved his long wavy black hair at the front of center stage, while chugging away at his bass guitar. The two guitar players would each stand on one side of the stage and hammer out a brutal riff, then move in unison towards the singer. Always animated, the guitar players would gesture to the crowd to make even more noise, if that was possible. They would then move (again in unison) back to thier own side of the stage, where they would each stand in front of a giant wall of amplifiers, at least 10-12 feet high, and wail away once more.

Like I said, the show was getting louder. About 60% of the way through the show, they played my favorite song, the one I was waiting months to see them play. As soon as the song kicked into gear, these giant banners dropped behind the stage to show these steel eagle looking things. Pretty neat. I banged my head with the song like there was no tomorrow, thinking it would be thier last song (as it usually is). Much to my surprise, the show ended up going on longer than I expected. They just kept grinding out fireball after fireball, and the exausted but energized crowd just kept going right along with them. By the time they worked up to their most well known song to make a big closing finale, the show hadn't lessened in volume or energy over 2 hours, it only GREW. As brutal and punishing as the entire show was, as much energy has been exerted by the band and crowd alike, the last song was easily the biggest. There's a particularly heavy part to the song that you simply can't hear without stomping and thrashing your head about. When it built up to that moment, after 2 already exhausting hours, I thought the balcony was going to collapse from the explosion. I say that because I don't think any other word could better describe the feeling. The army of people beating their feet to the ground, precisely in unison with the kickdrum's overwhelming thunder made a rumbling that you may not feel anywhere else, except for an explosion. My whole body shook with every beat. I banged my head to that song until my neck hurt, I stomped that floor almost hoping to cave the ceiling in. The song ended, and Drew and I made our way to the doors, staring at each other in disbelief. When i say the show was awesome, I don't mean it in a Bill & Ted kind of "totally awesome!" way, I mean I was actually in awe.

Some bands will go onstage and spout the old cliche line that runs along the lines of "We're here to kick your ass!" or something like that, but Slayer actually did it. Literally. I left that place with ears numb and ringing, my body sore from all the headbanging and rumbling from the sheer volume. Kind of like the feeling you get when you have some very good, very spicy salsa: it burns, but it's a good kind of burn that you're glad you get to experience.

A true metal show, for a true metal fan. Happy birthday to me, indeed.
- posted by Aaron @ 1:50 AM