Watch Slayer Play Last-Ever Live Song, Share Emotional Farewell
Slayer played their last-ever show last night, then wished a fond farewell to the sold-out crowd at the Forum in their hometown of Los Angeles.
You can watch fan-shot video of the moment below.
Appropriately, the final song the legendary metal group played was a fiery "Angel of Death." Afterwards, band members Kerry King, Tom Araya, Paul Bostaph and Gary Holt basked in the love and "Slayer! Slayer! Slayer" chants from the crowd for a few minutes. Finally, Araya offered a brief but emotionally charged farewell speech.
“Thank you. Thank you very much. I want to thank you for sharing your time with us. Time is precious. So I thank you for sharing that time with us, thank you. I’m gonna miss you guys. But the most important thing I want to thank you for being a part of my life, thank you. Good night. You guys be safe.”
After forming in 1981, Slayer steadily rose to the top of the metal world on the strength of genre-redefining albums such as 1986's Hell Awaits and 1988's South of Heaven. They announced their plans to retire from the road early last year, with Araya explaining that "it just gets harder and harder" to tour. "Thirty-five years is a long time," he told Loudwire. "There's things that have gone on in my life that have made me change how I play as a bass player. I had neck surgery, so I can't headbang anymore. And that was a big part of what I enjoyed doing what I do — singing and headbanging."