Slapshot Says a Final Goodbye to Europe
Slapshot delivered one of November’s most emotional high points as the Boston hardcore legends performed their final European shows. After more than four decades shaping the sound and spirit of hardcore, the band embarked on one last European tour — one that reached deeper into the continent than ever before. The run even included rare stops like Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Greece, giving fans who had waited years, sometimes decades, a final chance to experience the band’s raw intensity up close.
Across the tour, crowds responded with a powerful blend of gratitude, fury and respect. As expected, Slapshot ripped through fan favourites like ‘No Friend of Mine’, ‘Watch Me Bleed’, ‘I Told You So’, ‘Old Tyme Hardcore’ and more, keeping the energy high from the first night to the last. The final stop came in the Netherlands, where the band closed out their European journey with two back-to-back performances at Revolution Calling festival in Eindhoven. These shows served as the true farewell, marking the last moments for fans to sing back to a band that helped shape generations of hardcore.
Since emerging in 1985, Slapshot has stood as one of hardcore’s defining forces. Their frontman Choke, unmistakably rooted in Boston grit, has become synonymous with the band’s legacy. The band’s influence runs deep; each new wave of hardcore fans seems to stumble upon Slapshot as if discovering a vital chapter in the genre’s DNA. And their relationship with Europe has always been more than a touring route. Over the decades, the band has shown up for local scenes, offering not only blistering shows but also a sense of unity and resilience, becoming a steady ally during some of the community’s hardest times.
As their final year comes to an end, Slapshot’s last European tour truly marked the close of an era — a final stretch from a band that always gave everything. Nowhere was this spirit stronger than in Eindhoven. The band played with the same intensity that defined them from the start, and the crowd met them with equal force. Every shout-along felt charged with the knowledge that this was the last time Europe would see them. When the final notes faded, it wasn’t just the end of a set, but a powerful farewell to a legacy that left a permanent mark on the continent.
