By: Kyle Byrd
Date: June 30, 2001
Bands: Pantera/Slayer/Static-X/Skrape/Morbid Angel

Morbid Angel- I was kinda mad that they opened the show, since they have been around forever and are the death metal kings. Last time I saw them in March with Pantera, they sounded horrible. All you could really here was the drummer. But this time it seems like they cleaned up their act and they sounded great. They blew me away this time around. They played a good set all together. They opened with "Opening the Gates" and they ripped through "Rapture", "World of Shit", and "Summoning Redemption" among other greats. They closed with "Day of Suffering." They played for about 25 minutes.

Skrape- They are one of the better nu-metal bands to come out in 2001. The singer didn’t move too much though. I don’t think they were used to playing in arenas. I really liked their album and they played good live. They opened with "What You Say" and ripped through a good set. Highlights of their set include "Waste", "Rake", "Isolated", and "Blow Up" along with some other songs. They closed with "Rise." An all around good performance. They also got a great response from a crowd. Slayer and Pantera fans are usually a hard group but they seemed to win them over. They played for about 30 minutes.

Static-X- They were brutal. They got everyone moving and got a good crowd response. Dimebag was watching from the side of the stage, headbanging with them. Tony (thier bassist) had gotten in a motorcycle accident so they had Marty from Methods of Mayhem as the replacement bassist. But Tony was still on stage running around with his arm in a sling and singing backup vocals. They also had their new guitarist, Tripp Eisen (formally of Dope) there. They opened with "Bien Venidos" and ripped straight into "Get to the Gone." They played a set consisting of some of the best songs off both their albums. Highlights of their set included "This Is Not", "Love Dump", "I'm With Stupid", "Bled For Days", and "Shit In A Bag." It seemed like most of the people were familiar with the songs they played. The pits were going crazy. They played for about 45 minutes.

Slayer- I was so excited to see Slayer live. They opened with “Raining Blood” and just ripped through their set. They played a new song called “Disciple” off their new album and it ruled. I can't wait for the new album to come out. Tom said the new cd was delayed until late August, which sucked. I've been waiting so long. Anyway they played “Bloodline”, “Stain of Mind” and “Chemical Warfare” and other than those and the new song they just only played songs off Reign In Blood, South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss. Nothing off Hell Awaits or Divine Intervention, which was a shame. Other highlights of their set included "Dead Skin Mask", "Seasons in the Abyss", "War Ensemble" and some other good old Slayer classics. They closed with "Angel of Death." Great fucking show. They played for about an hour.

Pantera- I was kinda worried that Slayer may have outdone Pantera but Pantera delivered as always. They were probably better this time than they were last time. They opened with "Hellbound" like they did last time. They played a killer set, as always. Kerry King from Slayer (probably one of the best guitarists out there) came out and played with Pantera on "Godamn Electric" and "Fucking Hostile." It was great. Other highlights of their set were "Slaughtered", "War Nerve", "Revolution is My Name", "This Love", "Becoming", "5 Minutes Alone", "Cowboys From Hell" and so many other great songs that they pulled off perfectly. They even played their cover of "Cat Scratch Fever." They used the same stage they did last time. It was all metal with 15 foot flames coming out of the sides and loud firecrackers going off. It was Phil’s birthday too. In the middle of their set all the members of Morbid Angel, Skrape, Static-X and Slayer came out with a cake and a tray of shots and they sang happy birthday to him. It surprised him too. Phil said this was his favorite tour in years. Anyway after that they finished their set and for the encore they played “Walk.” Phil said this was their last tour in a long time and they were taking a big break. But that they would be back after their next record is out. Pantera played for about an 90 minutes.

This is probably the best concert I've ever been to. Pantera and Slayer alone were worth the money and add the great performances from Morbid Angel, Skrape, and Static-X, that was just the bonus. This one gets a fucking 20/10.