“HELL AWAITS” SLAYER AT… STUDIO 54?

Crustcake posted this incredible video of Slayer performing “Hell Awaits” in 1985 at Studio 54. This is both weird and notable, and not just because it serves as a reminder that once upon a time, Kerry King had hair and Tom Araya could move his neck.

No, it’s weird ’cause Studio 54 — in case you’re young and don’t know — was a disco. A very famous disco, where lots of celebrities hung out — folks like Andy Warhol, Debbie Harry, Mick Jagger, etc. Y’know, the Hiltons and Kardashians of their day. (That was a joke.) The club closed in 1980 after a couple of its owners were caught embezzling profits, and today, it’s used as a Broadway theater.

Yep. Bernadette Peters and Jeff Hanneman have played the same venue. Amazing.

This clip apparently comes from an old VHS collection, Ultimate Revenge for Disco, and Exodus and Venom were also on the bill. But it’s new to me, and hopefully, to you as well.

-AR