In a recent interview with Full Metal Jackie, Slayer guitarist Gary Holt opened up about the band’s highly anticipated reunion shows this past fall, according to Blabbermouth. Slayer reunited for two monumental performances: Riot Fest in Chicago on September 22 and Aftershock Festival in Sacramento on October 10. These shows marked the first time the legendary thrash metal group performed together since their farewell tour in 2019.
“The experience was magical. It was awesome. It was a surreal moment,” Holt said. “Slayer and the audience always have this rapport. There’s a certain electricity that comes off the crowd, and we feel it. This time we were electrocuted by it. It was insane—the energy you could feel before the show even started.”
The reunion was bittersweet, though, as a third scheduled performance at Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky, had to be canceled due to severe weather. “Losing the Louder Than Life show due to the hurricane, that was bunk, that was sad,” Holt admitted. “And no more so than for the fans who flew from all over to see it. But it was sad for us too because we really, really enjoyed Riot Fest, and it was amazing. There were only three shows. Who wants to lose one of them?”
Holt also reflected on the nerves that came with returning to the stage with Slayer after such a long hiatus. “We rehearsed really hard for it, like full production rehearsal,” he explained. “In the past, Slayer rehearsed in this tiny little music studio room with little half stacks. This time, I got to play with the entire rig—three amps, six cabs all on. It was the exact same thing tone-wise as my Exodus rig, just three times as large, which was awesome.”
The setlist for the reunion shows included fan favorites like “South of Heaven,” “Angel of Death,” “Raining Blood,” and the title track from their final album, Repentless. These performances were both a celebration and a reminder of Slayer’s enduring legacy.
When asked about the possibility of more shows in the future, Holt was cautiously optimistic. “I think, if anything, the band will make spot appearances here and there. I don’t see the band ever touring anymore, which is great for me because it allows me to put all my concentration into Exodus and then go out and enjoy playing the Slayer songs with my other family once in a while.”
Holt also took time to honor the legacy of late guitarist Jeff Hanneman, whose songwriting defined much of Slayer’s sound. “There’s so much greatness in the songs that he wrote. I’m just happy to be able to play them and keep his memory alive,” Holt said. “If I had to pick a song, maybe ‘South of Heaven’; that’s a pretty signature song of his.”
Holt revealed that while he tried to match Hanneman’s energy and style, he always approached the solos with his own interpretation. “Trying to mimic Jeff’s solo style—it’s impossible for me. I’m sure there are some guys in tribute bands who do it note for note, but it would’ve really been fake if I tried to copy him. So I did my own thing, and no one ever complained about that in the band.”
Drummer Paul Bostaph also reflected on the reunion shows, calling them “overwhelming” and expressing gratitude for the enthusiastic fan response. “I feel like it was probably one of the best live experiences I had because the fans were really into it. They were hungry for it, and that kind of made it special,” he told Los Angeles Times.
As for the future, the door remains slightly ajar. “Hopefully, we’ll do some more,” Holt said, echoing a sentiment shared by fellow guitarist Kerry King, who noted in an earlier interview, “There could be an instance where there’s another one-off… It just has to be the right offer at the right time, maybe someplace everybody loves to go.”
For now, fans can only hope to see Slayer return to the stage again. As Holt put it, “It was spectacular… a moment I’ll never forget.”
Photo credit: Boston Lynn Schulz
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