Special Edition: Extreme
Steel Tour as experienced by Dr. Fever
Slayer, Dimebag and
the Real Slim Shady
Introduction from the editor: Originally
we were supposed to handle coverage of the Extreme Steel Tour when it roared
through Los Angeles. Well long story short, that didn’t happen. I knew
if there was one tour most of our readers wanted coverage of, it was this
one. Think they would let us pass up on SLAYER and PANTERA on the same
bill? So naturally, the solution presented itself when I saw that the tour
was playing in Dr. Fever’s neck of the woods. Knowing full well that Fever
is probably the biggest Slayer fan here at antiMUSIC I asked him if he
was interested, guess what his answer was?. If anyone was born to cover
this tour, it’s our Dr. Fever. Normally, when one of us covers a
show we go to the venue, kickback, take photos if needed and maybe venture
backstage to conduct an interview. A couple weeks later you, the readers,
get a full report. Since Dr. Fever is anything but conventional when he
sets out to cover a show, he gets right into the middle of things. He’s
not contented being a mere member of the audience; he wants the full experience.
As an editor I get to feel a little of what Rolling Stone’s Ben Fong Torres
must have felt every time he sent Hunter Thompson out on assignment, wondering
what kind of mischief the adventurous writer was going to get into. Anyone
that follows Dr. Fever’s columns knows that one of his idols is Hunter
Thompson. I have a sneaking suspicion that the good Doctor is trying to
live up to his idol’s exploits, as you’ll soon read he is well on his way.
So with out further blathering from me, here is the Doctor to tell you
about his new nickname courtesy of Dimebag and his adventures at the Extreme
Steel Tour.
Huntington West Virginia
Pantera | Slayer | Static X | Skrape | Morbid Angel
On June 27th, yet once again, the fine
folks here at antiMUSIC sent me out to cover the rock. And, yet once again,
it turned out better than I could have imagined.
The fateful day rolled around and the excitement
level was
high. I headed to my friend Dana White's house (owner/operator of Cornzine.com
and my photographer for this trip) and then we rushed to Huntington. After
just about every delay you can imagine we made it to the show at about
7pm and made our way to the will call window. It was at this point we realized
the show started at 6, not 7. Static X was already on the stage (we could
hear them all the way out in the lobby) and we were kinda bummed, but it
was all good-we hadn't missed SLAYER (or Pantera for that matter). The
will call window provided yet ANOTHER adventure, they had LOST our tickets
and photo pass. Much anger. After finally getting some tickets (but no
photo pass) we took our chances and went to the Bus Parking area to seek
out help.
After some creativity and me breaking out
a copy of my confirmation email (good call Ed. on suggesting I print that
out..otherwise I never would have thought to do it) we were introduced
to a nice lady who I believe was Slayer's
road manager. She produced an All Access Photo Pass for Dana and (as a
way of making up for will call's screw up) she also gave us two All Access
Guest Passes, which meant me and Dana were going to the aftershow party
backstage. More on that later.
After walking through the side door and
heading for the floor (gotta love those All Access Passes), we hung with
some friends until the lights went out. Mass Hysteria. Devil Horns all
around. SLAYER was on the stage. Hot damn! On stage, SLAYER is more vicious
than you can imagine, when they hit the stage pure evil pours forth from
the PA. The power of Kerry King’s searing guitar riffs kick you in the
side, Tom Araya puts you in a stranglehold with his menacing
vocals and within minutes you become drenched in sweat, your throat gets
sore from screaming and you’re in bad need of chiropractor from all the
head banging! Slayer doesn’t screw around with pretty staging, they
go with a stripped down stage set. Drums, Amps, Guitars, Mics; No bells
or whistles are needed just the essentials of rock and roll. When you are
as loud as they are you let the music speak for itself. On this fine night
we were treated to a varied selection of both classic and new, even a couple
of kickass songs from their new album,
“Got Hates Us All”. For the most part, I just stood off to the side
soaking it all in. For me (and a few thousand fellow fans) it was truly
an awe-inspiring performance. Of course, I didn't stand around the
entire night. Fittingly enough, SLAYER closed their set with my personal
favorite: "Angel Of Death." This evoked a response of circle pitting and
floor punches from me. The rednecks were flipping out because they'd never
seen anything quite like my little display, so they converged on me with
intent to commit bodily harm..no matter. I'd already had my ass kicked
that night by SLAYER. I wasn't going to feel pain anyway.
Pantera closed out the night with their
typical show (although the exploding/flaming 'Reinventing The Steel' sign
was cool). It’s still fun nonetheless. After all this, it was
on to the backstage area for the after party. After a chance encounter
with a couple associates of ours and taking time to snap a photo with Kerry
King, it was party time. Pretty innocent stuff for the first 10-15 minutes
we were there, that ended the second Panteras' Vinnie Paul burst into the
room, leading 3/4 of the members of Pantera (Phil was noticeably absent)
into the sea of humanity and beer..the rest of the night is pretty much
a blur..but, here are some of the highlights:
Meeting everyone but Phil from Pantera
Meeting Tom and Kerry from SLAYER
Meeting Waye Static from Static X
Finding out the secret to Waynes hair (i'll
never tell..hahaha)
Watching Vinnie Paul sign a girls butt
Drinking liquor with Dimebag Darrell (I'm
almost positive it was the infamous 'Blacktooth Grin'...but I might be
wrong)
All in all, a very worthwhile time, even with
all the headaches it took to get to that level. So, yet again, the Doctor
went home happy. Even after Dimebag took to calling me "Slim Shady". Oh
well, it's all about the rock.
Bonus
Photo Galley - Backstage
and Pantera Live Shots
Questions,
Comments and reasons why SLAYER are GODS
Fan
Speak:
Posted by Yathrin:
oh man.. I live in WV. I totally missed this concert, that sucks. I would of probably crapped my pants if i knew about this. Pantera Friggin' Owns.
Posted by David Como:
You Suck I hate YOU Little Punks
Posted by ALice In CHains:
Hey i live in lil old HUntington, sorry u had to come to this dump to see it
Posted by Anti-idiots like Baby Stuey:
Baby Stuey does not know sh't about good music, that's for sure.
Posted by Dr Fever:
damn right Slayer-Kim. Enjoy the show, it'll kick your ass for sure.
Posted by Slayer-Kim:
Totally cool article! Can't wait to watch Slayer live this mondag in Copenhagen, Denmark! It will be a f*****g massacre!! God Hates Us All is f*****g great!
Posted by Dr Fever:
hey, talk to the people who run the site, i don't have that kind of power. I just write, I don't do the layout of the site n stuff. that's someone else man.
Posted by you:
if it amused you so much why did you delete it?
Posted by Dr Fever:
i feel all special when people 'ghostpost' under my name. makes me feel like i've accomplished my mission. (which by the way is to either piss off or annoy as many people as possible). thankyou, drive through.
Posted by BK,the teen hearthrob:
I would like to again to state that Slayer sucks.Secondly,I'm pretty sure that Dr. Fever did not write the comment about the sucking.I'm not going to point any fingers but,if I were to take a guess,I would probably say it is that Me,He,She,It,queer again.Again with the falling off the face of the earth,pal.
Posted by BlakNo1:
I've seen many great bands live,Slayer,sabbath,Rush,Deep purple(the real deal Mark 2)etc.I have to say The recent Tool shows ranked right up there with the best of them.Fantomas were there instead of meshuggah, still need to check them out. Fantomas kick much ass, never thought i'd say that about Mike Patton..
Posted by JIMEE:
What teh hell kinda music does Baby Stuey listen to? Probably some boring mediocre band. Anyone name a band with more relentless energy than Slayer is blind.
Posted by Dr Fever:
Posted by BlakNo1:
Slayer continue to amuse me with their offbeat shenanigans.HA! I did it!it's true!
Posted by Dr Fever:
and, again with the shut up. jeez.
Posted by Me:
Again with the not funny.
Posted by BK,the Teen Hearthrob:
Me,You,He,She,It,or whatever your name is,I never claimed to be funny.I'm a teen hearthrob.I don't have to be funny when you look like I do.On a related note,you should probably shut up.You're not that smart.Trust me,pal,I've read some of your past posts.So just go back and listen to your Backstreet Boys,Limp Bizkit,or whatever crap you listen to and just do us all a favor by falling off the face of the earth,reakazoid.
Posted by MIndskrew:
Ok, this may piss people off, and is probably completely off the subject, but i saw one the MOST energetic bands ive ever seen this past week, and i was 3 levels up. MEshuggah, from Stockholm Sweden opened for tool in columbus Ohio. It was a religous experience for me. And tool, was well, the visuals were good, the music was ok, their ability to entertain, SUCKED! ive said my peice, i know it has no pertinence to the subject at hand but i wanted to shar my experience.
Posted by Dr Fever:
Me..don't attack BK like that, it's not cool.
Posted by Me:
Shut up BK. You're not funny.
Posted by BK,the Teen Hearthrob:
Now while I do mostly agree with Baby Stuey's comments,I do have one problem here.You used an Edge and Christian reference without obtaining permission from myself or Dr.Fever. We are the only two allowed to quote E and C on this site.I'll let it slide this time due to your quite funny comment buy DON'T EVER,E-E-EVER USE E AND C REFERENCES AGAIN.Oh,and I must also give you props on the name.Apparently,you like the Family Guy as well.It's the second best cartoon on TV behind the Simpsons.Still,don't quote E and C again.
Posted by God:
I don't hate you all. I love you all especially SLAYER they kick ASS!
Posted by Dr Fever:
well, thank you for your bone-chillingly fresh opinion Baby Stuey. I'll make it a point to pass it along to Kerry King. I'm sure Dr Evil won't mind visting your home to discuss the pro's and con's of your theories. maybe he'll show up while you're watching 'the family guy'. who knows. we shall see.
Posted by Baby Stuey:
Slayer are gods. They are the gods of everything that suck.When it comes to sucking,Slayer is the Monica Lewinsky of music.They reak of total suckosity.The only pure unrelenting energy they have is the furious masturbating they do backstage looking at the latest copy of Playgirl magazine.Later,chumps.
Posted by Baby Stuey:
Slayer are gods. They are the gods of everything that suck.When it comes to sucking,Slayer is the Monica Lewinsky of music.They reak of total suckosity.The only pure unrelenting energy they have is the furious masturbating they do backstage looking at the latest copy of Playgirl magazine.Later,chumps.
Posted by Baby Stuey:
Slayer are gods. They are the gods of everything that suck.When it comes to sucking,Slayer is the Monica Lewinsky of music.They reak of total suckosity.The only pure unrelenting energy they have is the furious masturbating they do backstage looking at the latest copy of Playgirl magazine.Later,chumps.
Posted by Chabunga Beast:
There are to many reasons to list why Slayer are gods. Pure unrelenting energy. I was going to go on endlessly about all the positive attributes of Slayer but I think the name just says it all.
Posted by BK,the Teen Hearthrob:
You know,Fever and Turd,it really wouldn't be that bad to be compared to Justin Timberlake or Freddie Prinze Jr.After all,as I've stated to both you guys before,Timberlake's banging Britney Spears and Prinze is banging Sarah Michelle Gellar,so it's probably not a bad thing to look like them.However,as a teen hearthrob,I get all the ladies anyway.Just joking,guys.
Posted by Dr Fever:
haha. bite me funboy.
Posted by Turd Ferguson:
Hey, if I gotta suffer through the Freddie Prinze Jr jokes I think you can handle one Kobe Bryant comparison.
Posted by Dr Fever:
Turd; i know who you are and i know where you live..you will pay for that one pal. prepare thy self.
Posted by Turd Ferguson:
BK I'm not sure if Fever's hair looked more like Justin Timberlake's or more like a white Kobe Bryant's. Either way I'm happy it's back to normal.
Posted by the max:
Fever, the biggest mistake you could make is giving that retard an English lesson. I've tried, but his brain is way too small to understand such things as comprehension and grammar. It's simply not possible.
Posted by BK,the teen hearthrob:
Apparently,I'm going to assume that by the name,Limp815 is a Limp Bizkit fan which probably explains the spelling.He also apparently thinks Eminem is cool so we'll just ignore him and go on.
Posted by Dr Fever:
ok, so, limp815...when are we going to get the english translation of that post?
Posted by limp815:
yea be glad dat he thot U R kewl enuff to be M&M
Posted by Dr Fever:
damnit BK, dont' bring my hairmistake into this fool! haha!
Posted by BK,the Teen Hearthrob:
Admittedly, I am no fan of Slayer or Pantera.I would rather watch paint dry than listen to them.However,as a friend of Dr.Fever I must say that this was one of the most thrilling moments of his life.The man sat on a picnic table at my house for an hour the next day and told me all about it.I'm happy for him.He's been a fan of Slayer for as long as I can remember(never did quite understand why,but hey it's his thing)so I sat and listened to his story.He also told me the secret of Wayne Static's hair and I could reveal it,but I won't.Dr.Fever should also be glad Dimebag took to calling him "Slim Shady" instead of "Justin Timberlake" but we won't get into that either.Thankfully, the good doctor is past that hair stage of his life.
Posted by dugre666:
Who better to deliver "Heavy: than Slayer? Their Pictures should be in the dictionary under "Uncompramising and downright in your face. Nuff said.
Posted by the max:
It's all apart of the wonderful world of moshing.
Posted by dead:
id like to know what circle pitting and floor punches are.
Posted by the max:
Yeah, he was always trying to get into a pigs pants.
Posted by Josh:
lol. Gonzo. reminds me of the blue fellow with the big nose.
Posted by Dr Fever:
Flounder, amigo, I know the bar exam melted your brain, but gawddamnit man! surely you can still use a computer!! as my attorney I advice you to sober up! (***FYI FOR THE CASUAL READER: Flounder here is a close friend and former college roomate. his current role includes-but is not limited to-playing Dr Gonzo to my Raoul Duke..you are now informed**)
Posted by Flounder: it won't let me post anything I really
want to say.
Posted by
Flounder: Rock and booze. Dr. Fever obviously achieved
enlightenment. Perhaps several times.
Posted by
Flounder: Dr. Fever obviously achieved nirvana.
(the state of mind, not the band). Rock, liquor and ho's: three things
that go great together.
Posted by
Dr Fever: don't worry everyone: the doc has just
taken some much needed (and required) time off. I know this doesn't really
qualify as a 'rant', but, what you've got to understand is i currently
work over 70 hours a week and rarely have time to come online..forgive
me. fear not though, i've actually got something to write about now and
it'll be headed your way soon. you have my word.
Posted by
the max: (extremely jealous) You hung out with
Tom fukking Araya...and Drunk Beer with Dimebag...and talked with Kerry
King. Fever...I hope you realize just how much I look up to you now. You're
my new idol...fukk Max Cavelera.
Posted by
Josh: Wow good rant. snoogins.
Posted by
Trendkill138: Damn, I wish I could've been there. Its
too bad you couldn't have seen the whole thing.
Posted by
Trendkill138: Damn, I wish I could've been there. Its
too bad you couldn't have seen the whole thing.
Posted by
BlakNo1: I would have been more motivated to go
had Slayer been the headliners rather than Pantera.3 words EXHORDER,EXHORDER,EXHORDER!
Slayer are always fun.
