Slayer -- Toronto, Ontario -- April 3rd, 1999

[adamclark52]

Slayer
Support: Sick of it All, Meshuggah
Date: April 3rd, 1999
Venue: the Warehouse in Toronto, Ontario

Surprisingly, this is the only time I’ve ever seen Slayer in concert. I was supposed to see them twice in 2009-2010 but that show/tour kept getting cancelled so I just ended up getting my money back. Some people will say I saw them at their worst but I liked Diabolus In Musica. And 10+ years later their sets are still very similar, just less Diabolus in Musica, more whatever album they're touring in support of and Disciple.

I had actually heard of Meshuggah, so we made sure to get to the venue really early and be among the maybe two or three hundred people who were there to see them. Sadly, being the curtain jerker’s they only got to play four songs; Soul Burn, Future Breed Machine and two from Chaosphere, maybe Sane. I really wanted to hear my favorite song by them Terminal Illusions but that was it. They weren’t as awesome as you guys reading are imagining. They were just a solid opening band. From what I’m told people at Slayer shows aren’t very kind to opening acts. But The small amount of people who were there all loved them. Afterwards we actually got to talk to Jens Kidman and ask him how things were going, he modestly said we’ll see what the future brings and gave us a drumstick and a promo tape for Chaosphere, which may not have even been out at the time.

The crowd was not kind to Sick of it All. The place was pretty much full by that point and they got nothing but boo’s and catcalls for their whole set. The singer was even getting pretty pissed off at the crowd asking them if they realized that Slayer had personally asked them to be on this tour. The guy had probably been putting up with it for weeks. And the crowd didn’t care. I don’t know what they played.

Slayer came on and were Slayer (i.e., awesome). The crowd was fucking insane and the band was insane; it was a really good show. What more can I say? My friend Will (who was a big guy) went into the pit and came out five minutes later with a broken tooth, bloody lip and three broken ribs. Dean and me just stayed back and smoked some wicked hash oil.

What I’ll actually remember more about this show than anything was once Dean was really fucked up he just kept screaming “Slayer”. Even after the show was over, and we were the last people in the venue and the clean-up crew was taking everything apart. And he was screaming it right in my fucking ear. It was the only time that I couldn’t hear the day after the show, not because of Slayer but because of that French doofus.

Slayer
1. Bitter Peace 

2. Death's Head 

3. War Ensemble 

4. Evil Has No Boundaries 

5. Hell Awaits 

6. Born of Fire 

7. Stain of Mind 

8. Postmortem 

9. Raining Blood 

10. Dittohead 

11. Die by the Sword 

12. In the Name of God 

13. Criminally Insane 

14. Scrum 

15. Dead Skin Mask 

16. Seasons in the Abyss 

17. Mandatory Suicide 

18. Angel of Death 

19. South of Heaven 

20. Chemical Warfare

[christopher]

I would LOVE to see that set! EVIL HAS NO BOUNDARIES!!!!

[petrovar]

Slayer seriously needs to play Point. I don't know if they ever have, but on this tour you would think it would have been played. It's the most insane song they have written in a while.

[Wrecking Crew]

Wish I would have seen this tour, I still think Diabolus was their last good release even though a lot of people seem to hate it. Great setlist!

[JRA]

Originally Posted by christopher

EVIL HAS NO BOUNDARIES!!!!

This.

[Blacktooth85]

I'd take this setlist any day. I think Diabolus is fine album, so what if they weren't going a million miles a hour. I prefer it over Christ Illusion and WPB. Bitter Peace would be a killer opener!

It be cool if they started opening with Evil Has No Boundaries!

[christopher]

Originally Posted by Blacktooth85

It be cool if they started opening with Evil Has No Boundaries!

hell yeah!!

[Dogman]

I saw this tour as well. System Of A Down was the opener. They did not go over well. Slayer was on fire. My buds and I left immediately after the show and drove 500 miles to see OzzFest the next day, where Slayer was also playing. Ah, to be young again. I can't imagine doing that now at my age. 150 miles is about my limit for driving for a show these days.

[adamclark52]

Originally Posted by Dogman

I saw this tour as well. System Of A Down was the opener. They did not go over well. Slayer was on fire. My buds and I left immediately after the show and drove 500 miles to see OzzFest the next day, where Slayer was also playing. Ah, to be young again. I can't imagine doing that now at my age. 150 miles is about my limit for driving for a show these days.

I thought that was the first leg of touring for Diabolous, with SoaD and Clutch opening? I remember having a flyer for that tour on my wall but I don't know if it ever came to Toronto.

[bobbie solo]

Point, Scrum and Bitter Peace are all solid Diabolus songs.