Live Review: Slayer, Primus, Ministry, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals at The Forum

This past weekend were the “Final” Slayer shows. It was very appropriate that they close it out in Los Angeles, seeing as though they are from the great LA area. What was originally going to be one show, turned to two after the first night sold out immediately. Then they announced the lineup of the show. Slayer would be joined by one of the most diverse lineups they’ve played in years. Primus was direct support along with Ministry and Philip H. Anselmo and The Illegals performing nothing but Pantera songs.

 

The night began with a ferocious set by Philip H. Anselmo and The Illegals. Their short but sweet set was the highlight of the night (other than Slayer of course). For 30 minutes, they really delivered the goods as they ran through their Pantera set. Starting with “Mouth For War” was a great idea as it really got the crowd pumped. “Becoming,” “I’m Broken,” and “Strength Beyond Strength” were absolutely killer as well. During “Fucking Hostile” Anthrax’s Charlie Benante joined the band on the drums and that one just about crushed the pit. “This Love” was a great choice to play as well, with actor Jason Momoa running out on stage with his kids to sing along. Closing out their set was “A New Level” and they really knocked it out of the park with this one. Phil was absolutely on and sounded terrific. The guys in The Illegals really did a stellar job with these songs. Having Phil and The Illegals open up this show was the perfect choice.

 

Ministry was up next and they were pretty solid. Though they played the same exact set as the did the night before. It had been a minute since I last saw Ministry live and with an entirely different lineup. One of the best parts of seeing Ministry this go round was that on bass they have Paul D’Amor, who you might recognize as the original bassist for Tool. Watching him onstage going all out was pretty great. The band’s set was all classic songs like “Stigmata,” “Just One Fix,” “Thieves,” The Missing” and “Jesus Built My Hotrod,” so that made this pretty cool. It was just lacking something that I can’t quite put the right words to.

Primus was right before Slayer. It was definitely an interesting choice. Throughout their set, you could sense that something was a bit off. The crowd was losing interest and the energy was sort of being sucked out of the room the longer they played. I even fell asleep for a good 10-15 minutes during their set. Primus are a good band and great musicians. I can also see why they were asked to be a part of this tour due to the long history they have with the guys in Slayer but, they really really zapped the room almost out of the show.

Thankfully it wasn’t long until Slayer took the stage and the place went ape shit. A short video preceded the band coming on stage. The video featured fans thanking the band for all the years of music and blah blah blah… FUCKING SLAYER!!! Then, the lights came down and the visuals started and bang, right into “South Of Heaven.” For the next almost 2 hours, Slayer ripped through songs like “Repentless,” Postmortem,” “War Ensemble,” “Stain of Mind” Disciple,” “Seasons In The Abyss,” “Hell Awaits,” “Dead Skin Mask” and “Chemical Warfare.” Gary Holt was absolutely ripping it up on his leads and seemed to be having one hell of a great time playing. Tom Araya seemed to be very contemplative as his sang and played. Throughout the set, he couldn’t help but smile as he took it all in. Paul Bostaph was straight up killing it on the drums. And Kerry King was very locked into his playing but, even he seemed to be enjoying the moment a bit too. Ending their set with the trifecta of “Raining Blood,” “Mandatory Suicide” and “Angel Of Death” was pretty awesome

 

It was a very somber yet exciting night. If this is truly Slayer’s last show, they went out with quite a bang. For a band that’s been at it this hard for over 30 plus years, it’s never easy but, when you have a fan base as dedicated and die hard as Slayer fans are, it makes it all worth while. Sure I would have liked to hear a few other songs other than some of what they picked to play but, that’s ok, I got the favorites I wanted. I’ve seen Slayer many times over the years and this was one hell of a show. The Forum was a great place to see them close it out. Thank you Slayer for all the years of heavy tunes and inspiration! You will be missed

 

Slayer Set List:

01) South Of Heaven
02) Repentless
03) Postmortem
04) World Painted Blood
05) Hate Worldwide
06) War Ensemble
07) Stain Of Mind
08) Disciple
09) When The Stillness Comes
10) Born Of Fire
11) Payback
12) Seasons In The Abyss
13) Jesus Saves
14) Chemical Warfare
15) Hell Awaits
16) Dead Skin Mask
17) Show No Mercy
18) Raining Blood
19) Mandatory Suicide
20 ) Angel Of Death

Primus Set List:
01) Those Damned Blue Collar Tweekers
02) Too Many Puppies
03) Sgt. Baker
04) The Seven
05) Cygnus X-1
06) Southbound Pachyderm
07) Mr. Krinkle
08) Welcome To This World
09) Professor Nutbutter’s House Of Treats
10) My Name Is Mud
11) Jerry Was A Race Car Driver

 

Ministry Set List:

01) The Missing
02) Deity
03) Stigmata
04) Supernaut (Black Sabbath Cover)
05) Just One Fix
06) N.W.O.
07) Thieves
08) Jesus Built My Hotrod

Philip H. Anselmo and The Illegals Set List:
01) Mouth For War
02) Becoming
03) I’m Broken
04) Goddamn Electric
05) Strength Beyond Strength
06) Fucking Hostile (with Charlie Benante)
07) This Love
08) A New Level

Live Review: The Smashing Pumpkins at The Forum

Over the years I’ve developed an interesting relationship with The Smashing Pumpkins. One one hand I’ve thoroughly enjoyed their albums and on the other, I’ve been less than impressed with their live shows, until now. The previous three times I’ve seen The Smashing Pumpkins, were not that great at all but, on this evening that I saw them, they put all those old thoughts and feelings to rest. The Shiny and Oh So Bright tour is more than a spectacle, it’s a right of passage and a sense of realization of a band that has always been at the forefront of alternative music.

 
As the lights dimmed and the curtain opened just a tad, out walks William Patrick Corgan (he no longer goes by Billy), armed with an acoustic guitar, he starts strumming the chords of “Disarm.” What a way to start the show. Then a quick pause to allow the other members of the band join on stage as they blast off with “Rocket.” Already after two songs, my mind is blown. I’ve been waiting years to hear these songs. As the show went on, more and more favorites of mine were played like “Siva,” “Rhinoceros.” “Drown,” “Thirty-Three,” “Soma,” “Eye,” “Hummer,” “Cherub Rock,” and “Muzzle.” Of course there were the quintessential staples that were played like “Zero,” “Tonight, Tonight,” “Today,” “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” and “1979.” One thing that made this night even more special was the inclusion of so many deep cuts like “Try, Try, Try,” “Mayonaise,” “Drown,” “For Martha,” and “Blew Away.” Even their new song “Solara” sounded superb. The production for this show was top notch as well. The videos playing behind the band were pretty trippy and drenched with different emotions to accompany the songs played. Even their cover of the Led Zeppelin classic “Stairway To Heaven” was outstanding.

This night not only proved that The Smashing Pumpkins are back and better than ever but, it showed that real artistry is still alive. 30 years into their career, the Pumpkins, have shown that their songs stand the test of time and for the most part, their fan base is still intact, just waiting for the next great album from William and company. I will say that having Jimmy Chamberlain and James Iha back in the band really does make a difference. They have a distinct feel for how they play these songs and they really come to life with them on stage. Jeff Schroeder on guitar is a perfect addition to this group. Having been in the band since the Zeitgeist album, he too has a really great take on how to play these songs. Lastly, the addition of Jack Bates on bass was stellar. He brought a subtle yet dark eerie vibe to the low end that really complimented these songs well. Plus he’s the son of the legendary Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order so, it’s without a doubt that he understands the proper tone.

I came in not knowing what to expect, and left the show completely blown away. The 3 and a half hour set didn’t feel like it was that long. Every aspect of this show was spot on. William sounded great and better than ever. Personally I can’t wait to see them again. What a night and setlist to remember forever. Thank you to The Smashing Pumpkins for delivering one hell of a show and playing so many of my favorite songs.

 

The Smashing Pumpkins Set List:
01) Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness
02) Disarm
03) Rocket
04) Siva
05) Rhinocerous
06) Space Oddity (David Bowie Cover)
07) Drown
08) Zero
09) The Everlasting Gaze
10) Stand Inside Your Love
11) Thirty-Three
12) Eye
13) Soma
14) Blew Away
15) For Martha
16) To Shelia
17) Mayonaise
18) Porcelina of the Vast Oceans
19) Landslide (Fleetwood Mac Cover)
20) Tonight, Tonight
21) Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin Cover)
22) Cherub Rock
23) 1979
24) Ava Adore
25) Try, Try, Try
26) The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning
27) Hummer
28) Today
29) Bullet With Butterfly Wings
30) Muzzle

Encore:

31) Solara
32) Baby Mine (Betty Noyes Cover)