On This Day in History

On this date in history, 12/1/1990, Judas Priest, Megadeth and Testament descended on Market Square Arena in Indianapolis and delivered a historical ass-kicking display of Metal at its best! At the time of this show, I believe this was probably the heaviest concert I had seen to date. Testament came out first and set the tone early. Chuck Billy roared his vocals like a man possessed and Alex Skolnick blazed on the guitar like Steve Vai at his most pissed off. Speaking of pissed off, the ever volatile Dave Mustaine led his Megadeth mates through a punishingly precise set that featured a crushing version of Holy Wars and some astounding guitar wizardry from Marty Friedman. I remember wondering if the headliner would be able to top these 2 thrash juggernauts when it was their time to take the stage. Judas Priest was not to be outdone, though. They were touring in support of Painkiller, possibly the thrash-iest album they ever made. Scott Travis’s drumming on that song was like a locomotive running you down at full double kick overdrive! The twin lead guitar insanity of Glen Tipton and K.K. Downing was a joy to behold, and Rob Halford proved over and over why he possesses one of the greatest voices in the history of heavy music. Looking back, it was a fantastic blend of classic metal and the pulverizing onslaught of thrash at its finest. The sheer level of musicianship at this concert was jaw dropping, and the competitive energy coalesced into a seminar on how to do metal the right way.

Written By Braddon S. Williams aka The Concert Critic