Girl at the Rock Shows

Every show is a show I look forward to. Every time I have the opportunity to review and photograph a band, it’s an absolute privilege and one that I don’t take lightly. Although some of the shock and awe may be gone after doing this night after night, there are still some “pinch me” shows that I have the honor of covering and photographing that I truly can not believe I’m attending. One of those shows was on Friday night at the gorgeous Mystic Lake Amphitheater.

Kicking off the truly epic night of music was Hatebreed. Just take a second and let that sink in. Maybe you don’t know Hatebreed’s music or their history, but I’ll be willing to bet that you’ve at least seen their logo somewhere out there in the world, and this was the “opening act” for the show. It wasn’t just the name of this iconic band that set the stage for the night; it was also the sound. With a cool blend of hardcore and something a bit more radio-friendly hard rock, Hatebreed didn’t hold back and was quick to bring a level of intensity to the stage that would reign supreme throughout the rest of the night.

I knew what was coming next and, honestly, I could not freaking wait. My first interaction with seeing Suicidal Tendencies live was back at Riot Fest in 2024. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve known of this band for years and knew some of the hits beyond that, but seeing them at Riot Fest back in 2024 lit a fire under my butt when it came to this band because their live set was just so wholeheartedly electrifying. I know it has been a few years since then, but I was optimistic that things would be the same, and that optimism paid off. Vocalist Mike Muir came out swinging. I mean literally, swinging. Watching Mike will never get old. At 63 years young, Mike spent the entire six-song set (although it felt a bit longer than that, with extended versions of the songs on the docket) stalking the stage while letting his arms swing from front to back. It’s truly a sight to see, with how almost erratic his movements seem, but at the same time, it works, and it really adds an energy to a Suicidal Tendencies set that can not be topped. Add in the rest of the band that doesn’t quite let Mike steal the spotlight the whole time and, instead, adds to the insanity with jumps and just their overall epic talent, and you are left with a set that, in my opinion, should have been direct support for the headliner on this show rather than the second opening set.

The band that was situated in the direct support slot for this show was Down. I’ll be honest, this isn’t my band. A supergroup featuring members of various bands such as Pantera, Eyehatgod, Crowbar, Corrosion of Conformity, and many more, the members of Down know exactly how to put on a hell of a show, and that’s exactly what they did on Friday night. I would have loved to see vocalist Phil Anselmo show a bit more emotion and maybe just a bit more charisma throughout the set, but that isn’t his style, and I knew that. Instead, Phil spent the set gripping the microphone while sharing his epic and intense vocals for all to hear, while the rest of the band shredded and slammed away. Again, not my band. Their sound is just a bit more sludge than the ripcord kind of metal I tend to like, but seeing this band perform for the first time and watching the audience eat up every passing note and beat made it far from a write-off set for me.

Okay, three epic opening bands. Truthfully, none of these bands should ever be considered an opening act, and they wouldn’t be for anyone other than the headliner of Friday night’s show at the Mystic Lake Amphitheater.

Slayer has been a thing since 1981. I wasn’t even alive in 1981. Hell, I wasn’t even a thought in 1981. Were my parents even a thing back in 1981? What I’m trying to say is that Slayer has been doing this since 1981, and that, among a million other things, is what makes them such an iconic band. Slayer has seen it all. The good times, the bad, the wins, the losses, the triumphs, and the defeats. Through it all- all the records, all the drama, the tragic death of original guitarist Jeff Hanneman, and everything else that comes with being a band for so long- this group has never stopped. They have persevered, and that’s what makes them one of the only bands in the world that could have acts like Hatebreed, Suicidal Tendencies, and Down opening for them.

Friday night’s show was a celebration of 40 years of Slayer’s iconic album ‘Reign in Blood.’ Obviously, with that, we get a full playthrough of the album, but it was so much more than that in their set on Friday. Instead of just dropping the screen that concealed the stage and letting the band take off with the night, their set started with a short video showcasing the past forty years of ‘Reign in Blood’ and the past forty-five years of Slayer. It was a super cute video that mashed up interviews with the band members with footage of fans absolutely losing their crap over the band back in the day. After that and a dramatic pause, it was time to drop the curtains (because, when you’re Slayer, you get two curtains– one solid one and then one sheer one to just add to the drama) and let the packed audience get their first look at the metal Gods.

Truthfully, it was a bit of a blur after that. It was a blur of fire, classic thrash metal, and the smells of cigarettes, weed, and sweat. It was a night spent splitting my time between watching the band and watching the excited crowd around me because, truthfully, both were electrifying to watch. It was one of those nights where you knew you were in the presence of not just legends, but of like-minded people who didn’t care if you wanted to mosh, sing, or scream and only cared that you, too, were enjoying the evening and, with a flawless set like Slayer put on on Friday night, there was no way not to enjoy the set.

Never, in a million years, did I think I would be one of those photographers getting experiences like this and being able to photograph a band as legendary as Slayer. I definitely did not have sharing the photo pit with Wee-Man from Jackass on my bingo card either, but here we are. What an insanely fun and perfect way to spend a Friday night.

Line Up:

Hatebreed

Suicidal Tendencies

Down

Slayer

Venue: Mystic Lake Ampitheater

Smell-O-Meter: Weed, Cigarettes and Sweat

Average Age of the Crowd: 47

Crowd Surfers- 9 Counted but there were way more than that

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 12 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Bodies

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Sausage-Fest Meter – 37 out of 10

Celebrity Sightings – Wee-Man; Members of Whiskey Rock N Roll Club MPLS

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Hatebreed – 3

Suicidal Tendencies – 2

Down – 0

Slayer – 2

Show on Deck – Murder By Death / Larry and His Flask / Black Guy Fawkes

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