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Manchester, Tenn. — Heavy metal pitched a tent Friday night on The Farm — and it plans to stay for the weekend. 

Leather jackets replaced fishnet leggings as festivalgoers at Great Stage Park traded chants of “Happy ‘Roo” for headbanging at the inaugural Exit 111 Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. 

Known best as summer home to Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, the ‘Farm’ welcomes its first non-‘Roo show in park history this weekend with hard rock marathon Exit 111 (named after the Interstate 24 exit leading to the grounds).

“This is definitely the most (expletive) people we’ve played to in the state of Tennessee,” said famed Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, playing an evening set on the festival’s main “Heaven” stage. 

A few highlights from Friday at Exit 111 … 

Exit 111 Festival: A guide to the heavy metal, motorcycles and more taking over the Bonnaroo grounds

Thrash royalty 

Blistering sets of modern and legacy metal led Friday’s lineup — easily the heaviest night of the weekend. 

With Slayer and Anthrax, fans were treated to two of thrash metal’s “Big Four” in one evening — half of the what enthusiasts consider Mt. Rushmore acts in the genre (Metallica and Megadeth rounding out the list). 

Embracing a mild rain that wouldn’t linger, Anthrax ripped through a nine-song set. The band closed with “Antitrust” and “Indians,” sprinkling the latter with “Cowboys From Hell,” a nod to fellow metal titan Pantera. 

Billed as the band’s final Tennessee show, Slayer ripped a 75-minute master class in brutality. The gnarly, nearly-retired quartet kicked off with “Repentless,” sprinting through its discography with stops at “War Ensemble,” “Payback” and trademark track “Raining Blood.” 

“This is our last festival date show, period,” said vocalist and bassist Tom Araya. “So this is a special evening for us.”

Playing between the main stage trash, longtime Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde brought the down-tempo groove of his band Black Label Society. Wylde and his signature bullseye guitar leaned into riff-heavy favorites “Stillborn” and “Concrete Jungle” during the hour set.  

Exit 111: Seether frontman brings suicide awareness to Tennessee festival

A paranormal sideshow 

Aerobatics! Illusionists! Gymnastics! A ticket to Exit 111 comes with entrance to the Paranormal Crique, a (dry) sideshow featuring faux beheadings, full-bodied illusions and high-flying stunts. 

An hour-long cabaret show fit for spooky season, the gnarly magic and costumed dances offered a sinister — but not quite frightening — break from the headbanging that continued outside the tent. 

The grounds

So, what’s a non-Bonnaroo event look like at the Bonnaroo Farm? With three stages — and no tent stages — Exit 111 isn’t spread across as much of the festival grounds as ‘Roo. 

The “Rise Above” stage stands where ‘Roo regulars find the “That Tent.” Exit 111 shares main stage ground with its June counterpart, but doesn’t greet campers entering its musical playground with a polarizing archway. 

And, Unlike Bonnaroo, Exit 111 caters to zealous sports fans with a 20,000 square-foot “Mega Sports Bar” stationed between the three stages with flat screen televisions and rows of lawn chairs. 

On the grounds’ north end, the “Snake & Jake Christmas Club Barn” gets transformed Saturday into the site of a classic car show. 

A chilly Lynyrd Skynyrd 

Metal ruled the undercard, but classic Southern rock anchored Friday night. 

“Sweet Home Alabama” staple Lynyrd Skynyrd headlined the Heaven stage as a cold front swept into Great Stage Park. 

Wind jerked the main stage sound and rain teased the crowd as longtime Skynyrd frontman Johnny Van Zant wasted little time leading the act through songs spun religiously by classic rock radio: “Whats Your Name,” “That Smell,” “Tuesday’s Gone” and “The Needle and the Spoon” each fueled the band’s chilly outing.    

“… on the greatest stage in the world right here tonight in Tennessee,” Van Zant said. 

Exit 111 continues Saturday night with headliner Def Leppard. Guns N’ Roses closes the festival Sunday night. Find more information at exit111festival.com. 

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Read or Share this story: https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/10/11/exit-111-festival-lynyrd-skynyrd-slayer-review-paranormal-cirque-bonnaroo-farm-manchester/3897098002/