American Carnage -- Chicago, IL -- August 20th, 2010

[es156]

Tour: American Carnage
Headliner: Slayer
Support: Megadeth, Testament
Venue: UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL
Date: August 20th, 2010
========================

Ah, the American Carnage tour. This show was originally scheduled for last February but, of course, the whole tour was postponed due to Tom Araya’s surgery. It seemed like I had the ticket in my drawer for ages, so I was glad to finally be able to use it. Through a strange set of circumstances I ended up with tickets to shows on three consecutive nights, with this show being the first of the three. The first two were in Chicago and the third was in St. Louis. So I knew this would be an interesting weekend to say the least.
(Scorpions/MSG and Rush were the other two shows.)

Of course, due to traffic and construction, I was running about an hour behind schedule. Add to that my unfamiliarity with the venue location and the parking situation and I did not get in line until about 30 minutes before doors. Then, I also had to deal with the fact that Testament and Megadeth both sold VIP tickets that included early entry. So I was amazed when I got into the venue and down to the floor that I was able to get a spot on the rail. There were people standing there that had early entry but there was enough space between two of them that I was able to slip right into the gap. I was able to hold my spot on the rail all night even though each set brought more of a crush than the last one. The crowd was good for Testament, it was great for Megadeth and it was insane for Slayer. I left this show with one Skolnick pick, two Hanneman picks, a few bruises and a sore rib cage, but it was definitely worth it. Overall, it was an excellent show and I wish that I could catch the second leg in the fall.


Testament Set List:

Intro: For The Glory Of...
01. More Than Meets The Eye
02. Dog Faced Gods
03. The New Order
04. Practice What You Preach
05. The Persecuted Won't Forget
06. D.N.R (Do Not Resuscitate)
07. 3 Days In Darkness
08. The Formation Of Damnation


Set Time: 6.55-7.35

Testament Lineup:
Vocals: Chuck Billy
Guitar: Alex Skolnick
Guitar: Eric Peterson
Bass: Greg Christian
Drums: Paul Bostaph


Testament is a great band and also a great opening band for this kind of tour. They really get the crowd warmed up. Their sound here was very good and I liked the set list, even though it was a little short. They left me wanting more, ha ha! Practice What You Preach was a nice surprise, but I am glad that they decided to play more of their newer material. It goes without saying, but Alex Skolnick is an excellent guitarist. It is always great to watch that guy shred. I am really looking forward to seeing them headline again.



Megadeth Set List:

Intro: Shut Up, Be Happy
01. Holy Wars...The Punishment Due
02. Hanger 18
03. Take No Prisoners
04. Five Magics
05. Poison Was The Cure
06. Lucretia
07. Tornado Of Souls
08. Dawn Patrol
09. Rust In Peace...Polaris
10. Trust
11. Head Crusher
12. A Tout Le Monde
13. Symphony Of Destruction
14. Peace Sells
15. Holy Wars (reprise)


Set Time: 8.02-9.15

Megadeth Lineup:
Guitar/Vocals: Dave Mustaine
Guitar: Chris Broderick
Bass: David Ellefson
Drums: Shawn Drover


I was lucky enough to be able to catch the Rust In Peace anniversary tour in March. Getting to see that album performed in it’s entirety was amazing and I was certainly looking forward to seeing it again. This lineup is extremely tight. Watching Mustaine and Broderick tear through the solos and riffs is worth the price of admission. Megadeth is one of my favorite live bands and they reinforced that fact again at this show. They used the "Shut Up, Be Happy" intro which is a Jello Biafra spoken word track (w/Black Sabbath self-titled track music) from Ice-T's album "The Iceberg/Freedom Of Speech ... Just Watch What You Say." It is such a cool intro and it seems to really build the anticipation in the crowd. There was not a lot of talking during their set, as others have noted. They just fire through the album one song after another, which I think is perfect. They didn’t let up for a second until Dawn Patrol. Vic made his appearance while Ellefson played his bass parts. Rust In Peace….Polaris is an awesome way to end the album and was great live. I would like to see them play that song more often. Seeing the entire Rust In Peace album was definitely the highlight of the show. As always, I can’t wait to see these guys again.



Slayer Set List:

01. World Painted Blood
02. Hate Worldwide
03. War Ensemble
04. Blood Red
05. Spirit In Black
06. Expendable Youth
07. Dead Skin Mask
08. Hallowed Point
09. Skeletons Of Society
10. Temptation
11. Born Of Fire
12. Seasons In The Abyss

13. South Of Heaven
14. Raining Blood
16. Angel Of Death


Set Time: 9.40-11.00

Slayer Lineup:
Vocals/Bass: Tom Araya
Guitars: Kerry King
Guitars: Jeff Hanneman
Drums: Dave Lombardo


I have never been much of a Slayer fan, but I was looking forward to seeing them headline this show. Overall, I didn’t think that the sound was as good for them as it was for Megadeth. But I thought it was cool to see Seasons In The Abyss played in full. The crowd was pretty crazy up front but I could not see the pit since I was on the rail, so I have no idea how crazy it really was back there. Judging by the crush I would have to say it was pretty intense. There were a lot of crowd surfers, especially towards the end of the set. War Ensemble, Expendable Youth and Skeletons Of Society were the highlights for me.

[GWAR654]

no disciple? hmm odd

[The_jman]

Originally Posted by GWAR654

no disciple? hmm odd

they haven't played it the entire tour.