Good news, local metalheads! Slayer—a.k.a “SLAAAAAAAYEEERR!!!”—just announced they’ll be playing one last Milwaukee show as part of the band’s final world tour. Bad news, local metalheads! The farewell performance that’s being billed as Slayer’s “final Milwaukee show” is actually happening in Chicago.
Yesterday, Riot Fest announced its lineup. The seminal thrash metal band joined the likes of Blink-182, Bikini Kill, Rise Against, and The Raconteurs at the tip-top of Chicago festival’s 15th anniversary lineup. However, Slayer’s name also included fine print that indicated the Douglas Park performance (to occur sometime during the September 13-15 window) would be the band’s “Final Chicago & Milwaukee Show.” Despite being located roughly 100 miles from the festival grounds, it appears the always-awesome “radius clause” will prevent Slayer from bidding a formal farewell to Milwaukee with a show in our city limits.
On one hand, you have to hand it to both Riot Fest and Slayer for warning Wisconsin fans there won’t be a Milwaukee show. On the other hand, it seems in poor taste to let contractual prohibitions make the band’s “final Milwaukee show” happen in an entirely different state. Why even mention Milwaukee at all? Our city is no stranger to being skipped over by artists from time to time, but this is the first instance we can recall being told a Chicago show is also doubling as a Milwaukee event.
So yeah, if you want to catch Slayer one more time, you should probably buy a Riot Fest pass now and make plans to go to Chicago to see the band’s last, uh, Milwaukee show.