What matters about Slayer’s concert pause?

• Safety pause: Slayer stopped the Kia Forum show after frontman Tom Araya warned that crowd behavior could put concertgoers at risk.
• Araya’s warning: Tom Araya said the show would not continue unless fans calmed down and behaved respectfully.
• Show resumed: Slayer returned to the stage about five minutes later and finished the concert.
• Setlist highlights: Slayer performed Reign in Blood in full and revived songs that had not been played live for years.

This report explains why Slayer paused its Kia Forum concert, what Tom Araya told the audience, and how the show continued. Readers can also review the setlist details and related Slayer news.

Slayer paused the concert because crowd behavior raised safety concerns.

Sometimes, metal concertgoers can become so unruly that serious safety concerns arise, as demonstrated during Slayer’s concert at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, on the night of November 14. The band temporarily stopped the show, and frontman Tom Araya threatened to “go home” if the crowd did not calm down.

Why did Slayer stop the show at the Kia Forum?

Slayer stopped the show after Tom Araya saw fans damaging the venue and became concerned about concertgoer safety. The band resumed the performance about five minutes later, according to Louder Sound.

Slayer paused the concert after crowd behavior raised safety concerns.

It was the second show of Slayer’s two-night run at the venue, held in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Reign in Blood. The concert appeared to be going well until the band played “Jihad” and then “Seasons in the Abyss,” according to setlist.fm. Araya noticed that fans were damaging the venue and asked for the house lights to be turned on.

“Quiet! I just need your attention, alright?” he began, then remarked: “I don’t know how many times I had this conversation when we first started playing in fucking huge places. I kept telling everybody, ‘Man, you gotta fucking maintain yourself. You can’t start destroying shit because they’ll shut the shit down.’”

The audience continued booing as Araya spoke, prompting him to add:

No, I don’t want to hear “Ohhhh!” Listen, if you guys want to have fun, you have fun right here in front of us, in the middle of the area where there’s NOTHING you can destroy except each other. When you start doing shit on the outside of that line right there, they’re gonna shut the place down. They don’t want anybody to get hurt. There’s a lot of people that want to come see the show. They don’t understand some of this stuff, and you guys get so fucking crazy, you start hurting each other.

Araya’s words appeared to make the crowd angrier. He continued: “You guys, you know, I know it’s hard to fucking contain yourself. It’s hard to fucking maintain yourself. I know that, but you gotta fucking be respectful of the people around you, especially if you’re sitting in fucking seats.”

That comment drew a mix of boos and cheers from the audience, and Araya continued:

So, the fire marshal said we’re gonna pause. We’re gonna pause until you guys get your shit and your act together, okay? There’s no one to blame but you, and you know who I’m talking about. Not these people in the front, not them, not them [pointing to people closer to the stage]. It’s you motherfuckers behind these people. You know, now we’re in a time where people have – you know, there there’s no consequences for the shit you fucking do. You need – we need consequences. If you guys keep that shit up, we’re gonna go home.

The crowd booed more after Araya’s ultimatum. He added:

And I hope you guys don’t do that [the] next time we come. You know, you think . . . you can get away with shit and not get in trouble for it? WE end up in trouble for it. We have to pay for that shit. I’m not joking, man. I’m not joking. Have you ever heard me talk to you like this?

The audience collectively shouted, “No!” and Araya concluded:

So, you need to fucking get your heads on straight and behave like human fucking beings unless you’re in this fucking area right here in the front. Yeah, the fire marshals are here, and they’re here for your safety. YOUR fucking safety. Do you hear what I’m saying? All right, let’s see how you act. We might come back.

Fan-shot clips captured Araya’s announcement during the Kia Forum concert.

According to Louder Sound, Slayer returned to the stage five minutes later to finish the show. In a video uploaded by YouTuber @ashavedyeti4452, the band appeared to say nothing further about the incident before continuing with “Seasons in the Abyss.”

READ MORE: Dave Lombardo – Slayer’s ‘Reign in Blood’ Still ‘Gives Me the Chills’

What songs did Slayer play at the Kia Forum?

Slayer played Reign in Blood in its entirety during the second set. The concert also included fan favorites and several songs that had not been performed live for years.

Slayer’s Kia Forum setlist included a full performance of Reign in Blood.

According to setlist.fm, Slayer played these songs before the second set:

• “South of Heaven”
• “Hell Awaits”
• “Discipline”
• “War Ensemble”
• “Dead Skin Mask”

The second set featured all of Reign in Blood, with “Black Magic,” from the 1983 album Show No Mercy, closing the night.

Unlike the November 13 show at the Kia Forum, the November 14 concert featured live revivals of songs absent from Slayer’s setlist for several years. The band played “God Send Death” for the first time since 2016 and “The Antichrist” and “Bloodline” for the first time since 2017, according to setlist.fm.

What other Slayer news is related to this concert?

Former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo said that Reign in Blood still gives him “chills.” In a separate item, Tom Araya and guitarist Kerry King were announced as hosts on a metal station in Grand Theft Auto VI.

Dave Lombardo discussed the album on the Loaded Radio podcast, uploaded to YouTube on October 9. He explained:

The palms of your hands get sweaty, you know? Your heart rate increases, and you’re just in the moment. I’ve performed those songs so many times in my life on stage, and that adrenaline, just thinking about it, and when I listen to those songs, it triggers that adrenaline. I get charged. [Laughs] If I go into cardiac arrest, play “Angel Of Death” or “Raining Blood” or something, and watch me just pop up, like, “Hey, what’s going on?’

In other news, Tom Araya and Slayer guitarist Kerry King were set to host the metal station “106.6 The Chamber” in the upcoming video game Grand Theft Auto VI, which the source says releases on Thursday, November 19. The pair were to use the names DJ Tom and DJ Kerry. A preview featured excerpts from three songs: Black Sabbath’s “I,” Slayer’s “Raining Blood” and Pantera’s “I’m Broken.”

How did you feel about Slayer temporarily pausing the show? The concert account describes Araya’s safety warning, the crowd’s response and the band’s return to the stage.

What led Slayer to pause the concert? Tom Araya said the crowd needed to stop damaging the venue and respect the safety of people around them.

How long was Slayer offstage? According to Louder Sound, the band returned to the stage five minutes after the pause.

Did Slayer finish the concert? Yes, Slayer returned and continued with “Seasons in the Abyss” before completing the show.

Which songs had Slayer not played live since 2016 and 2017? “God Send Death” had not been played since 2016, while “The Antichrist” and “Bloodline” had not been played since 2017, according to setlist.fm.

Also, keep scrolling to read the list of 31 rock and metal albums turning 40 in 2026, including Slayer’s Reign in Blood.