Word and Live Photos: DJ
Myglobalmind and Screaming Digital Productions
Ah, another weather day in the South. The wonderful time of year when the atmosphere is so unstable that at any given moment during a warm and muggy summer day, we can get hit with tornadoes that will devastate your neighborhood. Well, on this day of May 20th in Huntsville, AL, it was one of those days we all come to appreciate in the South.
The legendary purveyors of thrash metal, Testament, were scheduled to perform at Mars Music Hall. Things didn’t quite go according to plan due to the chaotic weather events of the day. As with the unpredictability of weather forecasting, we never truly know when a tornado is going to spin up or strike—this scenario came to fruition on this day as well.
Anyway, being a few minutes from the venue is advantageous, but when you have to shelter in place at your house due to severe weather conditions, you hope for the best. This particular tornado developed outside of Madison County, moving into the Madison area. I don’t know how, but it went off the ground by the time it reached the more populated areas. Some of our friends in smaller towns towards the east weren’t so fortunate.
I managed to venture downtown long enough to reach the venue. The band actually had to be taken down to the basement of the venue until the sirens subsided—something Chuck Billy and company mentioned was certainly different. It’s not something you have to deal with every day, especially if you’re from out west in California.
Regardless, the band started twenty minutes later. Some fans did show up for the performance, and honestly, given the extreme weather conditions, it wasn’t a disappointing turnout. Some metalheads you just can’t keep down.
For this special intimate tour in support of the Practice What You Preach reissues via Nuclear Blast, Testament was performing the complete album alongside acoustic material and deep cuts—some of which have never been heard live before. This was part of their exclusive “Evening with Testament” concept, featuring storytelling and rare songs that fans have been requesting for years. The band had described this as a milestone performance, showcasing their third major label release and most commercially successful album from when “records were actually being sold,” as Eric Peterson put it.
I honestly thought it was going to feature more acoustic content, but they came out and absolutely delivered the full album experience. I will go on record stating that bands like Testament and Overkill to this day still deliver exceptional live performances. No matter their age, they always bring intensity, precision, and energy—a perfect escape from the chaos of the weather outside.
Songs like the title track and “Sins of Omission” I have never experienced live—exactly what this special tour promised with deep cuts and songs rarely performed. The Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson guitar duo are something to behold in person—these musicians don’t compromise. When hearing “Perilous Nation” and “Time is Coming,” it was like being transported into thrash metal heaven. I also appreciated the impressive inflatable backdrop.
Chuck Billy sounds remarkably powerful even at his age. True to his promise of an evening you “don’t want to miss,” he was able to take the stage and, in his humble manner, deliver an outstanding performance of this commercially successful milestone album, even to a smaller crowd due to the weather conditions.
Sadly, I couldn’t stay for the entire set. I had to return home to check on my concerned family, but I wish I could have remained for the complete performance because they sounded exceptional live. What I would have given to hear “Return to Serenity” or “Low” performed live—such classic compositions.
This entire evening reminded me of another bizarre tornado incident when the well-known British band The Struts had to be pulled off stage due to nearby tornadoes. I was there covering that event photographically, but I had to retreat into the concert hall with the rest of the crowd as security escorted us to a safe location to weather the storm.
Severe weather really puts things into perspective in the grand scheme of life. All that to say, while some people will pursue their plans regardless, always remain weather-aware. One cannot predict the weather, and as we all know in the South and parts of the Midwest, when Mother Nature decides to unleash her fury, it’s genuinely devastating.
An Evening With TESTAMENT
April 30 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater
May 2 – Tulsa, OK @ Skyline Event Center/Osage Casino Resort
May 3 – Little Rock, AR @ The Hall
May 4 – Wichita, KS @ Temple Live
May 6 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
May 7 – Flint, MI @ The Machine Shop
May 10 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
May 11 – Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe at Old National Centre
May 13 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Warsaw
May 14 – Wilmington, DE @ The Queen
May 15 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
May 17 – Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
May 20 – Huntsville, AL @ Mars Music Hall
May 22 – Austin, TX @ Empire Garage
May 25 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
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