East Coast thrash metal titans ANTHRAX kicked off a summer tour celebrating 40 years of headbanging insanity, hitting 24 cities in a five-week stretch – starting in Phoenix, AZ on July 26 and wrapping up in Philly later this month on August 28. The tour features co-headliners BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and special guest HATEBREED offering support.
From the official tour statement:
The multi-Gold and Platinum, six-time GRAMMY-nominated Anthrax spent a good portion of 2021 celebrating the band’s landmark 40th birthday. The card-carrying Big Four members’ anniversary was the subject of an 11-week series of video testimonials from artists like Chuck D., Dave Grohl, Dave Mustaine, Kerry King, Norman Reedus, Rob Zombie, Robert Trujillo, Slash, and others. Anthrax teamed up with Z-2 Comics for the “Among The Living” graphic novel that was inspired by their landmark 1987 album and released their high-end bourbon whiskey, “Anthrax XL.” But, due to COVID, the one thing Anthrax couldn’t do, was tour, tour, tour, so the band fully intends to extend the celebration with this North American trek. Fans can expect Anthrax – Joey Belladonna/vocals, Scott Ian/rhythm guitar, Frank Bello/bass, Charlie Benante/drums, and Jon Donais/guitar – to draw from all four decades – fan favorites and deep cuts – for their nightly setlist.
Starting things off were crossover metalcore legends HATEBREED, and the Kansas City crowd was primed and ready. Frontman Jamey Jasta led the band in an adrenaline-fueled set that featured some crowd favorites like “Destroy Everything”, and later in the set, the classic anthem “I Will Be Heard.” Notably, the set only included one track, “A Stroke of Red,” off their most recent offering, 2020’s Weight of the False Self. The band ended their set with “Looking Down the Barrel of Today,” from their seventh studio album, The Concrete Confessional.
Next up, Zakk Wylde and the Doom Crew brought an unrelenting 90-minute aural assault of guitar shredding wizardry, featuring the dual guitar team of Wylde and Dario Lorina, along with bassist John DeServio and drummer Jeff Fabb. BLACK LABEL SOCIETY are touring in support of their most recent full-length album, Doom Crew Inc., released in 2021. Starting the set with “Funeral Bell”, the band offered up several face-melting tracks in a row with extended guitar pyrotechnics, until slowing things down with the fan-favorite ballad, “In This River”, showcasing Zakk’s moving songwriting and piano skills. Zakk and company finished the extended setlist with two of my personal favorites, “Suicide Messiah” and the now-classic “Stillborn.”
Putting an amazing finish to an already epic evening of heavy metal, ANTHRAX were in top form and the Kansas City crowd responded with equal amounts of energy and enthusiasm. A very strong setlist that spanned the band’s discography, started off with a triple dose of well-known favorites, “Among The Living”, “Caught In A Mosh”, and “Madhouse.” The set also featured “Only” from the John Bush era, and frontman Joey Belladonna sounded right at home with this amazing track. Belladonna and crew were in top form as they tore through hit after hit. They ended the evening with “Indians”, a crowd favorite from the 1987 Among the Living album.
It was an honor to watch the ANTHRAX juggernaut tear up the Kansas City stage, and I hope to see them continue their 40+ year legacy for many more. Catch them on one of the remaining dates this month!
Photos by Thomas Woroniak Photography
AUGUST
- 1 Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO
- 2 Midland Theater, Kansas City, MO
- 4 Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana, Gary, IN
- 5 Oshkosh Arena, Oshkosh, WI
- 6 The Fillmore, Minneapolis, MN
- 8 Southside Ballroom, Dallas, TX**
- 9 Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater, Austin, TX
- 11 The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
- 12 House of Blues, Orlando, FL
- 13 The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC
- 15 The Andrew J Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
- 16 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
- 18 The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD
- 19 Main Street Armory, Rochester, NY
- 20 The Fillmore, Detroit, MI**
- 22 Stage AE Outside, Pittsburgh, PA
- 23 History, Toronto, ON CANADA
- 24 Amphitheatre Cogeco, Trois Riviere/Montreal, QC
- 26 Coney Island Amphitheater, Brooklyn, NY
- 27 Tattoo The Earth Festival 2022, Worcester, MA
- 28 The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA**
** Hatebreed will not appear on these dates.
