1/12/1991: Slayer @Henry J. Kaiser

Posted by Luminator (A) on January 11, 2021 at 15:52:33

At the beginning of 1991, as a sophomore at UC Santa Cruz, I was reading, among other things, the November/December 1990 issue of TAS. During the second weekend, I went home to San Francisco. Nope, the January/February 1991 TAS had not yet arrived.

You attend many concerts, but over the decades, some influence you, and are unforgettable. On Saturday, 1/12/91, my old friend Abby and I went to Oakland's Henry J. Kaiser center. Abby was (still is) 4'10" with straight blonde hair. We had previously seen the opening act, Testament, several times, at smaller venues. Here at HJK, Testament didn't sound as focused and powerful. In one of the circular mosh pits, Abby got hit in the face, and suffered a bloody nose - an unfortunately common occurrence for her.

When Slayer took the stage, the floor was already crowded, and people from the seats came pouring down. Someone's spikes on a leather jacket scratched Abby's shoulder. Perhaps 4 songs in, with all of the flailing and headbanging going on, Abby got punched in the mouth, cutting her upper lip. She had had enough, and I saw her reach into her pants, pull out her maxi pad, roll it up, and throw it into the crowd, about 20' in front of her.

We weren't too far from a side wall. Abby and I actually were able to get a space, in a section, with a short wall/ledge in front of us. Slayer's recordings could be kind of ragged or choppy, but their performance that night had a sense of awe and power, my words can't describe. In particular, Dave Lombardo's double bass drum work served to counteract and balance the twin guitar attack. Behind the safety of the wall/ledge, Abby and I sometimes lay perfectly still (as opposed to thrashing around), and took in the glowing awesome power. Abby and I looked at each other, and didn't need to say a word. We understood that this went beyond "rock music," and was one of those seminal moments.

Abby and I agreed that Slayer's "Blood Red," no relation to her getting bloodied at the concert, should have been a hit, or at least gotten more airplay and recognition.

Friends and I would later see Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax around Memorial Day 1991, at the Cow Palace. Anthrax were kind of a surf-rock offshoot for middle class listeners. The "classic" lineup of Megadeth just stood in place, and played. But fans really screamed for Slayer. While Slayer were good, that Cow Palace show didn't have the out-of-this-world glow, enchantment, unity, and single-minded drive of their earlier HJK performance.

30 years later, and we're still in awe of that Slayer concert at HJK.

-Lummy The Loch Monster

Blood Red (Open in New Window)

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Topic - 1/12/1991: Slayer @Henry J. Kaiser - Luminator 15:52:33 01/11/21 (2)

RE: 1/12/1991: Slayer @Henry J. Kaiser - fantja 20:00:32 01/11/21 (1)

RE: B.G.P. Was Hoping To Replicate Winterland ... - FRG7SWL 09:49:18 01/13/21 (0)

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