Slayer’s concert Saturday at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum was paused mid-show so singer Tom Araya could reprimand some unruly fans in the crowd.
“The fire marshal said we’re gonna pause. We’re gonna pause until you guys get your shit and your act together,” Araya told the fans in the arena seats. “There’s no one to blame but you. You know who I’m talking about.”
The admonishment came just seven songs into Slayer’s North American tour-ending performance; after dusting off tracks like “God Send Death,” “Bloodline” and “The Antichrist” for the first time live in nearly a decade, Slayer fans apparently got too hyped, which sparked safety concerns and a five-minute cool-off.
It was during that timeout that Araya addressed the audience. “Quiet! I just need your attention. I don’t know how many times I had this conversation when we first started playing fucking huge places, I kept telling everybody, ‘Man, you gotta fucking maintain yourself. You can’t start destroying shit, because they’ll shut this shit down,’” he said.
“Listen, if you guys wanna have fun, you have fun right down here in front of us. Do it over here where there’s nothing you can destroy except each other. When you start doing shit on the outside of the line over there, they’re gonna shut the place down.”
“The line,” as Araya suggested, was the arena seating area, where the more casual fans were likely sitting, and where moshing and body-slamming is probably unsafe.
“You guys get so fucking crazy you start hurting each other,” Araya said. “I know it’s hard to fucking contain yourself, it’s hard to fucking maintain yourself, I know that. But you have to be respectful of the people around you, especially if you’re sitting in fucking seats.”
Araya also suggested that some fans were destroying the arena, and — when it comes time to pay for the repairs — it’s the band that foots that bill.
“We’re in a time when there’s no consequences for the shit you fucking do. We need consequences. If you guys keep that shit up, we’re gonna go home, and hope you guys don’t do it next time we come,” Araya warned.
“Have you ever heard me talk to you like this? So you need to get your fucking heads on straight and behave like human fucking beings unless you’re in this fucking area in the front.”
Thankfully, despite the initial round of boos and chants of “Ole, ole,” the crowd respected Araya’s call for chilling out, and the Slayer concert continued without incident, including a show-closing performance of Reign in Blood in full and a “Black Magic” encore.
