LIVE NATION PRESENTS: ANTHRAX
LIVE AT HEART HEALTH PARK IN SACRAMENTO, CA ON 7/30/22
What does this Anthrax tour give you that the previous tours had not? Four decades of definitive thrash metal from the band’s long standing career. This means that the set list was chosen to reflect their origins all the way to the band they are today.
The band’s current line up carries four out of the five members that made the band’s rise to fame with their sophomore album ‘Spreading the Disease”. We are speaking of guitarist Scott Ian, Drummer Charlie Benante, vocalist Joey Belladonna, and bassist Frank Bello. As nice as it would have been to have former guitarist Dan Spitz on this 40th Anniversary tour, guitarist Jon Donias is a great addition to the band.
The band is to take the stage at Heart Health Park in Sacramento, Ca. This outside event has finally cooled down since it has become evening before they take the stage. Although the band is doing this 40th Anniversary to commemorate their formation in 1981, I will say that I was surprised that they didn’t play a single song from the Neil Turbin vocalized debut album that came out in ’84.
The first album to feature vocalist Belladonna was the 2nd album which they did play ’Among the Living’ and ‘Madhouse’ from. Thrash metal was now recognized worldwide when the Anthrax released their breakthrough album “Among the Living” in 1987. From that release they played a powerhouse version of ‘Caught in a Mosh’ as well as ‘Indians’.
The evening was filled with an array of nostalgic tracks such as ‘Metal Thrashing Mad’, ‘Keep it in the Family’, ‘I Am the Law’, and of course ‘Antisocial’. The previous evening during their performance in Los Angeles at the Palladium, the crowd was treated to Anthrax’s cross over metal/rap hit ‘Bring the Noise’ with Public Enemy’s Chuck D joining them on stage. We were not treated to the same pleasure but the song was indeed played.
I may be one of the few fans that truly enjoyed the John Bush of Armored Saint era of the band. With that being said, Belladonna did his rendition of ‘Only’ and I will say he did knock it out of the park.
Anthrax put on a great show and it was very well received by all that attended. Hard to imagine that a band that I saw in the clubs nearly 40 years ago myself are still going strong and sounding better than ever. Anthrax is still keeping thrash metal alive and well.
