They say that everything old will eventually become new again. That's true for Slayer and Megadeth, two metal giants who first ascended to stardom in the heaviness-happy 1980s and who are headed out on tour together on a bill called the Carnage Tour (split up into two legs: Canadian Carnage and American Carnage). In addition to ear-shredding riffage from their most recent albums (Slayer's underrated 2009 slice of savagery World Painted Blood and Megadeth's epic 2009 release Endgame), the two powerhouses will also run through two of their classic albums top-to-bottom. Slayer will roll through their 1990 classic Seasons in the Abyss (a crossover hit that established band classics like "Dead Skin Mask" and the title track) while Megadeth will tackle 1990's Rust in Peace (guitarist Dave Mustaine's post-rehab album that featured the hit "Hangar 18").
It's not only the 20th anniversary of the release of those albums, but the Carnage tour will also commemorate the last time the pair toured (that would be the Clash of the Titans tour, which also featured Anthrax and Alice in Chains). Unlike many aging rockers, both Slayer and Megadeth still absolutely cook live (Slayer are especially savage), so the Carnage tour should be a fantastic headbanging night.
The "play a whole classic album in its entirety" gimmick has been done countless times before by everybody from Sonic Youth to the Pixies to Jay-Z, but it's one that always seems to work. In fact, here are a few summer tours that should dip their toes in the full-album waters. (And for the record, if they were to recruit Anthrax and Alice in Chains for Clash of the Titans II, Anthrax would have to Persistence of Time and Alice in Chains would have to do Facelift, both of which came out in 1990.)
Paramore
They'll be moving the country on the Honda Civic Tour this summer, which also features Tegan and Sara and New Found Glory. They probably wouldn't have time for such a stunt, but their most recent album Brand New Eyes is so well-constructed and paced that it would make for a remarkable front-to-back performance experience.
Dave Matthews Band
Since DMB usually rely on extended jams and more free-form movement, playing through a whole album seems antithetical to their whole aesthetic. But just because they're playing through an album doesn't mean they can't extend the songs on one of their classic albums. The varied, flowing, moody Before These Crowded Streets would make the most sense, but it's also hard to argue with the group playing through Busted Stuff or their classic breakthrough Under the Table and Dreaming.
Pearl Jam
The veteran Seattle warriors are heading through North American and Europe this spring and summer, and while they recently celebrated the anniversary of the release of their classic debut Ten, Peal Jam should pay homage to their legendary 1994 album Vitalogy, which has always gotten short shrift. It has also been a decade since the release of Binaural, which would also benefit from the full-album treatment.
Phish
Again, it'd be weird to graft a full album demand onto a jam band, but Phish have experimented a lot (both with other band's albums during Halloween shows and with their own "Gamehenge" project). But they have a bunch of classic records that flow seamlessly and could act as shows unto themselves. Billy Breathes would be a good pick, as well as Farmhouse (celebrating its 10 year anniversary) or Lawn Boy (marking it's 20th this year).
Blink-182
The guys have a surprisingly big batch of songs in their past, which means that they could easily deliver a hit-filled set as well as a full album set. Despite the juvenile title, 1999's Enema of the State would make for a delightful full album set, as it brings together the group's jumpy anthems (like "What's My Age Again?" and "All the Small Things") with their more nuanced, emotional work ("Going Away to College," "Adam's Song").
U2
It's time for U2 to pay homage to a classic album during their massive stadium tour that will take them through North American and Europe. The Joshua Tree would be obvious, but it would be a bolder choice to play through the less popular but still important October or Boy.
Sarah McLachlan
As the headliner of the finally-back-on-the-road Lilith Fair, McLachlan could pay homage to the album that essentially invented her particular genre: 1993's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Without that album (and the classic tunes "Ice Cream," "Hold On" and "Possession"), there would probably be no Lilith Fair, so why not take the revival back to where it all began?
What artists would you like to see break out the "play a whole album on tour" gimmick? Let us know in the comments!