This was a concert I attended in High School. It would have been among my first five live experiences, and it was definitely my first metal concert. If only I could remember how I got there…. It is possible that I went with my friend Dave, who was driving by then. I have this sense that we may have both bought tickets because we were Alice in Chains fans who were in the opening slot. Grunge was in full bloom, and I do recall a lot of anticipation for that opening set from AIC. We may have gone for the grunge act, but many years later, the entire 4-set show stands as one of my top concert experiences. Alice in Chains, Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer live at the Omni, Atlanta, GA 7/12/1991.
Alice in Chains was supporting Facelift, but had released the song Would that Summer on the Singles soundtrack. They opened their set with this song that would later also appear on the album Dirt. The 7-song set closed with Man in the Box, a song most of the crowd knew from crossover play on MTV Metal and alternative shows. AIC setlist
Next up was Anthrax. I was a fan of this band from their thrash cover of Joe Jackson’s Got the Time. Stomping bass groove, check out either version. They were supporting their album Persistence of Time. Overall, they added elements of skate punk to the thrash recipe. This would have been very enjoyable for me and Dave. Anthrax Setlist.
Megadeth held the 3 slot, and I remember feeling like this was my pinnacle of expectation. I did not know Slayer’s music, but was a fan of Megadeth’s Rust in Peace. That album had intricate structures and felt akin to Metallica’s Ride the Lightning as a bridge between thrash and progressive music. The track Holy Wars was inspired by the Iraq War 1.0/Desert Storm, and Hangar 18, which dramatized the alien research Hangar 18 was both right up my conceptual alley. Songs from Rust in Peace made up a majority of the set, with Peace Sells but Who’s Buying and their cover of the Sex Pistols’ Anarchy in the UK closing the set. Megadeth Setlist.
Slayer was next. I didn’t really know them. In fact it was kind of not OK to know them in my bible belt culture town. This was in peak satanic panic, and Slayer was the band that mom’s and church professionals hated the most. Regardless, there we were… time to see what the fuss is all about.
This set remains the most vivid to me. Absolute atmosphere…. the house lights in the Omni go down and the arena is in deep darkness. Squealing guitars mesh with rumbling doom tones, I hear demonic grumbling, and the dissonance builds into the dramatic opening chords of Hell Awaits. The arena is washed in deep blood reds that just add to the menacing atmosphere. Maybe those moms were right? This feels like the apocalypse, and it looks and sounds like it too. The third song was War Ensemble, which stands as a favorite to this day. Slayer, like Megadeth, were tuned into the idea that nothing good can come from forever wars in the Middle East. “Sport the War – War Support” fierce chorus that still resonates in today’s world. Virtually every song in the set was a standout. South of Heaven, Raining Blood, Seasons in the Abyss (this was the album they were supporting), Dead Skin Mask, Angel of Death, and Mandatory Suicide. They maintained intensity, evil vibes, and momentum with machine precision. I remember leaving rattled, like I had attempted a fist fight with a jackhammer, or perhaps a honey badger. Relentless. Slayer setlist
