Slayer made a triumphant return to the stage at Chicago’s Riot Fest over the weekend, marking their first live performance since their last concert at the Forum in Los Angeles on November 30th, 2019.
The heavy metal icons had previously announced their disbandment at the end of their farewell tour in 2019, making this reunion highly anticipated among their fanbase.
In an unexpected turn of events, just two weeks after guitarist Kerry King expressed doubts about a reunion in February, Slayer announced they would be headlining a few festival gigs later in the year.
The Riot Fest performance not only signified the official reunion of the original quartet – bassist and singer Tom Araya, guitarists Kerry King and Gary Holt, and drummer Paul Bostaph – but also set the stage for their upcoming appearance at Louisville’s Louder Than Life festival on September 27th.
During their set at Riot Fest, Slayer delivered a powerful set of 21 songs, thrilling the crowd with classics such as “Raining Blood,” “Angel of Death,” and “South of Heaven.” Watch footage above.
Araya shared in a statement, “Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we’re on stage playing live, sharing that intense energy with our fans, and to be honest, we have missed that.” King echoed this sentiment, highlighting the deep connection between the band and their fans: “Have I missed playing live? Absolutely. Slayer means a lot to our fans; they mean a lot to us. It will be five years since we have seen them.”
The reunion comes after King’s recent interview with Rolling Stone, where he discussed his future solo projects and seemed uncertain about Slayer’s return. Despite previous statements, the live performance at Riot Fest and the scheduled show at Louder Than Life indicate that Slayer are back, at least for now, to the delight of metal enthusiasts.
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