by As you might have heard, last week the thrash metal giants, Slayer, announced their impending retirement toward the end of 2018. But before they part ways with the industry as a unit and a force to be reckoned with, Slayer will hit the road one last time for a final world tour. Providing the supporting send off is Anthrax, Testament, Lamb of God, and Behemoth, all of whom have shared the stage with Slayer many times before (as recently as 2017 for LoG and Behemoth). See what the supporting acts had to say about the upcoming Slayer tour below.
Slayer made the retirement announcement with a 30-second video:
The video only makes mention of North American tour dates, which you can view below. If you’re wondering where the “world” is in the “World Tour” announcement, you’re not alone. Stay up-to-date with future tour date announcements via slayer.net. Also, just as a side note, it would be insanely cool if the final show, once announced, were a Big Four show.
We’ve seen plenty of “farewell” tours announced in years past, with bands hanging on and ultimately not retiring at all, which makes these things look like a cash-grab. So, will Slayer retire actually? Considering what singer-bassist Tom Araya said in 2016, this seems pretty legitimate:
At 35 years, it’s time to collect my pension. This is a career move. I’m grateful that we’ve been around for 35 years; that’s a really long time. So, yeah, to me, it is. Because when we started off, everything was great, because you’re young and invincible. And then there came a time where I became a family man, and I had a tough time flying back and forth. And now, at this stage, at the level we’re at now, I can do that; I can fly home when I want to, on days off, and spend some time with my family, which is something I wasn’t able to do when [my kids] were growing up. Now they’re both older and mature. … Yeah, it just gets harder and harder to come back out on the road. 35 years is a long time.
The tour gets underway on May 10th, so Slayer fans, get ready to rush the stage one last time as comedian Jim Breuer describes in this video:
Tickets are on sale now!
Frank Bellow of Anthrax said:
It’s truly an honor to be on Slayer’s final tour. Anthrax and Slayer have toured together for decades, we are family, band and crew, so we want to help give Slayer the best send-off possible, and to have one last blast with our friends. But you know, at the end of the day, Slayer will never die.
Testament’s Chuck Billy commented:
Sharing the stage with Slayer once again is going to be an honor, and to be a part of the final tour is going to be a special privilege for us. Slayer has influenced so many aggressive bands in their career. This tour will be an epic time for all who attend. Do yourself a favor and clear your calendars when this show comes to town. This will be your last chance to see a tour like this. Get ready North America for the devastation.
Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe commented:
If you are lucky enough to be invited to play even just once with living legends like Slayer, it’s an incredible honor. Slayer gave Lamb of God our very first two overseas shows. Slayer has subsequently taken us on several full-length tours, both at home and abroad. The guys in Slayer and their crew have also always been very, very cool to our band. It is irrefutable that Slayer helped create the genre of aggressive metal, and all modern bands of that ilk owe them a huge debt – I know we do. To be asked to be a part of their final tour – well, it just makes you stop and realize just how lucky you are. Hail Slayer! We’ll see you on the road.
Behemoth’s Nergal said:
Well, well, well… the dream comes true AGAIN it seems. Behemoth will be teaming up with mighty Slayer again for another extensive North American run later this year! Nothing short of epic if you ask me! I cannot wait to confront American legions again before we unleash the new record. One of the biggest metal tours this year: Testament, Behemoth, Anthrax, Lamb Of God and Slayer. Can you miss it out? FUCK NO!
Slayer 2018 North American Tour Dates:
5/10 – San Diego, CA @ Valley View Casino Center *
5/11 – Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheatre *
5/13 – Sacramento, CA @ Papa Murphy’s Park at Cal Expo
5/16 – Vancouver, BC @ PNE forum
5/17 – Penticton, BC @ South Okanagan Events Centre
5/19 – Calgary, AL @ Big Four *
5/20 – Edmonton, AB @ Shaw Centre *
5/22 – Winnipeg, MB @ Bell MTS Place *
5/24 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory *
5/25 – Chicago, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
5/27 – Detroit, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre @ Freedom Hill
5/29 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
5/30 – Montreal, PQ @ Place Bell *
6/1 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun
6/2 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Banks Arts Center
6/4 – Reading, PA @ Santander Arena *
6/6 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
6/7 – Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center
6/9 – Pittsburgh, PA @ KeyBank Pavilion
6/10 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
6/12 – Virginia Beach, VA @ VUHL Amphitheatre
6/14 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion *
6/15 – Orlando, FL @ Orlando Amphitheatre
6/17 – Houston, TX @ Smart Financial Center
6/19 – Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory
6/20 – Austin, TX @ Austin 360 Amphitheatre
* Anthrax will not appear at these dates.
Rock Hard \m/
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