Slayer at Madison Square Garden
photo by Mathieu Bredeau

Slayer played final show; Tool cancelled one; Slipknot fest ended in a riot

Just catching up on some stadium metal news from the weekend:

Tool just announced they are cancelling their third and recently added San Diego show due to a “scheduling conflict”, but meanwhile the rest of their tour dates are still on, and can be viewed below.

Slayer — whose final tour we talked a lot about when it hit Chicago and NYC pretty recently — ended things for good at LA’s The Forum on November 30. You can watch video of their final moments on stage, which included a performance of “Angel of Death” and an emotional goodbye speech from Tom Araya, below. “Thank you,” Tom said. “Thank you very much. I want to thank you for sharing your time with us. Time is precious. So I thank you for sharing that time with us, thank you. I’m gonna miss you guys. But the most important thing I want to thank you for being a part of my life, thank you. Good night. You guys be safe.” The ending of the show at Madison Square Garden was very similar.

Slayer/Exodus guitarist Gary Holt posted this the next day::

Now that the final show has come and gone, I just want to send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported me stepping into this monster called Slayer. Last night was a whirlwind of emotions for all four of us. I want to thank @tomarayaofficial , @paulbostaphofficial and KFK, Kerry Fucking King. I will miss so much more than just sharing a stage with you guys. I’ll miss the jokes, the penalty shots for our onstage fuck ups, the philosophical discussions, the fart jokes,the millions of laughs, the songs, the bus ride movies and more shots. MASSIVE love to all three of you.

There’s more. You can read the whole thing in his Instagram, below.

Bonus points: Aquaman (aka Jason Momoa) came out to sing a Pantera song with Phil Anselmo during their opening set. Check out video that Jason posted to Instagram as part of a gallery that also includes him posing with members of Metallica, openers Primus, and more, below.

Overall, a smooth ending, which is not what we can say for Slipknot‘s Knotfest in Mexico over the weekend. Due to a broken barricade, the show ended early, cancelling performances from Slipknot and Evanescence. A riot ensued, and some attendees destroyed Evanescence’s equipment, lighting it on fire. You can watch video and read statements from Slipknot and Evanescence (including an amusing one from their drummer) below.

Tool: 2020 Tour
January 10 2020 VIEJAS ARENA SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
January 12 2020 VIEJAS ARENA SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
January 15 2020 SAVE MART CENTER FRESNO, CALIFORNIA
January 17 2020 T-MOBILE ARENA LAS VEGAS, US
January 18 2020 GILA RIVER ARENA GLENDALE, AZ
January 21 2020 FRANK IRWIN CENTER AUSTIN, US
January 22 2020 AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA DALLAS, TEXAS
January 28 2020 STATE FARM ARENA ATLANTA, GA
January 29 2020 BRIDGESTONE ARENA NASHVILLE, TN
January 31 2020 FEDEX FORUM MEMPHIS, TN
February 01 2020 SMOOTHIE KING CENTER NEW ORLEANS, LA
February 14 2020 RAC ARENA PERTH, AU
February 17 2020 QUDOS BANK ARENA SYDNEY, AU
February 20 2020 ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE BRISBANE, AU
February 22 2020 ROD LAVER ARENA MELBOURNE, AU
February 28 2020 SPARK ARENA AUCKLAND, NZ