Slayer Will Play Reign in Blood Front to Back at Two U.S. Shows

Forty years of Reign in Blood and it still hits like nothing else in thrash metal. Slayer just announced two U.S. headlining shows where they'll perform the legendary album front to back, and the lineups on both bills are ridiculous.

Here are the dates:

September 4, 2026 — Mystic Lake Amphitheater, Shakopee, MN

Support: Down, Suicidal Tendencies, Hatebreed

November 13, 2026 — Kia Forum, Inglewood, CA

Support: Cannibal Corpse, Cavalera, Crowbar

I'll be real, both of these support lineups are perfectly curated. Down and Suicidal Tendencies in Minnesota is a dream bill. And the LA show with Cannibal Corpse and Cavalera? That's a room full of legends from top to bottom.

The Only Two Shows Where You Get the Full Album

This is the important part. These two headlining shows are the only U.S. dates where Reign in Blood will be performed in its entirety. Slayer has festival appearances throughout 2026, including Rocklahoma on September 6 and Sick New World Texas on October 24, but those sets will be different. If you want the full album experience, it's one of these two shows or nothing.

The Kia Forum show is especially significant. That venue was where Slayer played what was supposed to be their final show ever on November 30, 2019. This will be their first LA headlining date in seven years.

Ticket Info and Presale Codes

Multiple presales are rolling out this week. Here's the breakdown:

Citi Presale: Tuesday, April 21 at 12pm local time

Artist Presale: Wednesday, April 22 at 10am local time (code: RIB2026)

General On Sale: Friday, April 24 at 10am local time

There's also a Blabbermouth presale on Thursday, April 23 from 10am to 10pm (CDT for Shakopee, PDT for LA) using the code BLOOD26. VIP experiences and travel packages are expected to be available as well.

You can grab tickets for the Mystic Lake show here and the Kia Forum show here once presales go live.

Why Reign in Blood Still Matters

If you know, you know. Reign in Blood dropped on October 7, 1986 through Def Jam Recordings. It was Slayer's first time working with Rick Rubin, and the result was 29 minutes of pure, unrelenting ferocity that changed heavy music forever. Kerrang! called it "the heaviest album of all time." That's not hyperbole.

The album's release was actually delayed because of its graphic artwork and the subject matter of the opening track, "Angel of Death." It became Slayer's first record to crack the Billboard 200 (at No. 94) and was certified gold by the RIAA in 1992. Forty years later, it's still the benchmark for thrash.

Kerry King put it best in a 2009 interview: "It was the first time you actually heard Slayer in its pure ferocity, and it made a big difference."

The Reunion That Nobody Saw Coming

For anyone who missed the memo, Slayer called it quits in 2019 after wrapping their farewell tour. That final show at The Forum in LA felt pretty definitive. Then in 2024, just weeks after Kerry King publicly said a reunion was unlikely, they announced they were coming back for select dates.

The reunion lineup has been consistent with the 2013 to 2019 era: Tom Araya on bass and vocals, Kerry King and Gary Holt on guitars, and Paul Bostaph behind the kit. They've played a handful of massive shows since coming back, including Finsbury Park in London, Louder Than Life in Louisville, and Hersheypark Stadium in Pennsylvania. They even joined Black Sabbath's final "Back to the Beginning" concert at Villa Park in Birmingham in July 2025.

About the Venues

The Mystic Lake Amphitheater is a brand new outdoor venue in the Twin Cities area, opening in summer 2026. It's owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, about 25 minutes southwest of Minneapolis/Saint Paul. It's built for live music with a covered lower bowl and an open-air plaza overlooking the Minnesota River Valley. Solid pick for a show like this.

The Kia Forum needs no introduction if you're in LA. It's one of the best rooms in the city for big shows, and the fact that Slayer is returning to the same venue where they played their "last" show is a pretty full-circle moment. Note that the Kia Forum is a cashless venue.

Don't Sleep on This

Honestly, hearing Reign in Blood performed front to back in a headlining setting is a bucket list experience. This isn't a festival set where they squeeze in the hits. This is the whole record, the way it was meant to be heard, from "Angel of Death" straight through to "Raining Blood." With support acts like Cannibal Corpse, Down, and Suicidal Tendencies rounding things out, these are going to be two of the best metal shows of 2026.

Presales start today. Set your alarms and don't wait on general sale if you can help it. These will move fast.

Cover photo courtesy of Ticketmaster