Tuesday, May 21, 2019
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
dastolfo@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
What a moment it was at the end of Slayer’s performance Monday at Covelli Centre.
After the final note by the thrash-metal legends, who are on their farewell tour, frontman Tom Araya stood alone, scanning the crowd and silently communicating with the cheering fans.
It wasn’t that he was basking in the adulation. No, Araya was forging a mental imprint of the moment, so that he could remember it always.
After a minute or two, Araya went to the microphone and said “I’m going to miss you guys.” Then he exited and the lights went up.
It was the most he said to the crowd all night, but it was heartfelt and meaningful.
Monday’s 90-minute concert was all about saying goodbye to Slayer. But – up until the end – it wasn’t sentimental.
Kerry King – Slayer’s other founding father with Araya – and Gary Holt, his guitar counterpart on the other side of the stage, took turns blasting out light-speed riffs and face-melting solos all night.
For a brief and glorious moment, King and Araya played side by side on “Evil Has No Boundaries.”
Araya’s upper-range voice led the assault, while Paul Bostaph likely got scorched on his drum riser, what with all the pyro flames rising around him.
Not surprisingly, the sold-out arena crowd was also going like there was no tomorrow. In the sea of fans on the floor, a moshpit ominously swirled all night, occasionally erupting like a tornado on the plains.
If the hallmark of a great metal performance is clarity, then Slayer nailed it. The band moved with such precision that it could turn on a dime. A subtle chord change or a split-second syncopated beat was cleanly felt by the crowd and drew roars.
Preceding Slayer was Lamb of God, Cannibal Corpse and Amon Amarth.
Virginia-based Lamb of God, with its machine-gun attack, was also a force on stage, and a good segment of the crowd was in their corner.
Frontman Randy Blythe windmilled his long dreadlocks and led the band in “Laid to Rest” as a tribute to Slayer, perhaps with his eyes on the vacated throne.