Last Wednesday, another page of Heavy Metal history turned as the legendary Heavy Metal band Slayer played their final show in the province of Quebec.
As if their presence wasn’t enough, they were preceded by one of the most impressive lineups in recent Heavy Metal history with Testament, Behemoth, Anthrax and Lamb Of God opening the festivities to the amazement of concertgoers.
Having the ultimate privilege of scoring some backstage passes to this historical Heavy Metal event thanks to a good friend of mine (Thanks again, you know who) , I missed the first three bands’ performances. While backstage, I crossed paths with Kerry King as well as with Willie Adler and scored myself some Mark Morton guitar pics.
At 8:00 pm, it was Lamb of God's turn to activate the crowd and get them energized. The intensity of their riffs and the energy that they radiated was contagious and mosh pits of various intensities immediately appeared at many points on the floor. During their last song, Redneck, Randy Blythe instructed the crowd to create a giant circle pit and the crowd obliged instantly. Lamb Of God’s performance was memorable and clearly set the bar quite high.
Then came the dreaded moment – Slayer’s ultimate performance on Quebec soil. From the dimming of the lights, one could already sense what was about to happen starting with reversed crosses and pentagrams illuminating the screen. Their reputation for highly energetic live performances needs no introduction. Immediately following the first notes of Repentless, their intensity was matched by the crowd’s vigorous mosh pits. The solid visuals and pyrotechnics only intensified the high energy riffs. We were quite privileged to be able to witness their last tour.
