It’s rare for a band to have to tell you that you’re going way too hard at their shows. If anything, artists have to occasionally hype their fans up because they’re a little too cold and lacking energy. But for Slayer, they noticed that their crowd at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles was so intense that they risked critically injuring their fellow concertgoers. Consequently, they shut the whole show down until they got their act together.
In a report from TMZ, lead singer Tom Araya had to address the crowd when a moshpit formed in the seated section of the floor. As a result, he stressed that they needed to be considerate of their fellow neighbors, especially when there are chairs nearby. “You guys get so f**king crazy, you start hurting each other,” he said.
There was apparently a mix of cheers and jeers when Slayer told everyone to chill out. Eventually, the fire marshal had to get involved and handle matters personally. Then, Tom Araya sternly told the audience that they had to temporarily shut the show down until everyone got on their best behavior. If they didn’t follow their instructions, they’d go home and start fresh with another audience.
“The fire marshal said we’re going to pause … until you get your s**t and your act together. If you keep this s**t up, we’re going to go home,” Araya scolded.
Slayer Gives Their Fans a Stern Warning and Shuts down Their Show When Fans Wouldn’t Chill Out
This marked their second of two shows celebrating the 40th anniversary of their classic 1986 album Reign in Blood. For their founding drummer Dave Lombardo, the album still gives him chills to this day.
“The palms of your hands get sweaty, your heart rate increases, and you’re in the moment. I performed those songs so many times in my life,” the Slayer drummer told Loaded Radio. “When I listen to those songs, it triggers that adrenaline. I get charged. If I go into cardiac arrest, play ‘Angel Of Death’ or ‘Raining Blood’ or something… watch me just pop up like, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’”
It’s especially ironic that Slayer had to tell their fans to chill given how they’ve thrived in that sort of chaos in their careers. It’s especially evident in their heavy emphasis on Satanic imagery in their music. Frankly, frontman Tom Araya said it was just to separate themselves from the pack.
“It was to be different and to scare people. That stuff kind of scares people,” he explained. “That’s kind of fun when you scare people and they [wonder], ‘Oh, are they evil? Are they satanic?’ We did that more for more to f**k with people. That was a good way to f**k with the Hollywood crowd.”
Photo by Barry Brecheisen/WireImage
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