Anthrax in Concert
Average Rating: 4 Skulls
Death's Review (4/8/04, The Whisky, Hollywood, CA):
I was bummed when I heard that Frank Bello was leaving Anthrax after so many years. Short of getting Danny Lilker back, I wasn’t sure what the band could do to replace him. Then it was announced that Joey Vera would be filling in, which made perfect sense to me. Can you say, “Armored Saint Reunion”? I can! And when I heard that Anthrax was going to do a warm-up show for their Japanese tour at the legendary Whisky, two thoughts crossed my mind: one – it was gonna be great to see Vera’s debut with the band; and two – it was gonna be packed, as the Whisky is a pretty small venue, relatively speaking.
I didn’t care about openers Josh Todd (ex-Buckcherry) or Downset, so we tried to time it to get there just before Anthrax was set to go on. My buddy from out of town came along to try to get a ticket at the last minute, but that turned out to be a pretty ridiculous notion. In fact, when we first got there, we learned that the show was oversold, and the fire codes would not even let everyone who had a ticket come in! No kidding, even though we were on the guest list, we had to sit outside and wait in line during the end of Downset’s set. One person leaves, one person could come in. Annoying, but I supposed prudent, given the fact that the show was oversold (which never should have happened in the first place). We got inside after Downset, when a few sad souls had to leave for various reasons (“Dude, I have to put change in my car,” “I just have to meet my friend!”).
Photos by HelOnce inside, I grabbed the obligatory Heineken or two, said hello to some friends (in that order), and then positioned myself for the chaos ahead. “What Doesn’t Die” opened things up and pretty much killed. Vera was awesome, as he always is live, no matter who he is playing with. Here, he thrashed around and did his thing looking comfortable and confident like he’d always been in Anthrax. Bush sounded great as always, Benante bashed away and Ian thrashed with his trademarked aggression. I liked that the back of Joey Vera’s shirt was blank instead of having a number, reflecting his status as a non-permanent member.
In the end I was most psyched to hear some of the more obscure numbers, like “Keep it in the Family,” and “Belly of the Beast” from what I think is one of Anthrax’s most underrated albums, Persistence of Time (basically, for me, the and was awesome up until State of Euphoria, which was kind of weak, then came back strong with Persistence), although my favorite song from that album, “In My World,” was once again left out. I did also get to finally hear “Be All End All,” the best track from the aforementioned State of Euphoria record, which was fun. As always, I also liked the Among the Living material, this time including “N.F.L.” And the show closed with a half-cover of Metallica’s “Whiplash,” plus the obscure classic thrash mania of “Deathrider,” from the band’s first album (interesting side note – Neil Turbin was also playing his own show that night in Hollywood at Club Vodka across town), a nice touch. My night was complete when I saw Phil Sandoval, ex-Armored Saint guitarist walking through the crowd, apparently supporting his fellow Saint bandmates Vera and Bush. All in all, a killer night.
My only complaint was one I’ve repeated before – did we really need three cover songs (four if you count “Whiplash”)? For a band with such an extensive back catalogue, it seems gratuitous to play “Got the Time,” “Antisocial,” and “Bring the Noise,” none of which the band wrote and all of which I’ve seen live so many times before. What’s worse, is that we are essentially talking about covers of covers, with Bush not even being the guy who did the original Anthrax versions of these covers on the studio records. Leave these tunes behind next time guys, and you’ll be squarely in five skull territory.
PS – loved reading Scott Ian’s recent AlphaMail posting at his web site, with a great tour report of the trip to Japan. A nice travelogue that’s fun to read even if you aren’t that into the band.
Hel's Review (4/8/04, The Whisky, Hollywood, CA):
Kicking off a packed metal weekend, Anthrax made a one-off appearance at the legendary Whisky to warm up fill-in bassist Joey Vera before leaving for a jaunt around Japan. I was enticed by the prospect of getting a chance to see them in such a small club again, since it has been years since I saw them play at a place this small. Personally, though I was surprised at Frank Bello’s departure, I was unsurprised to learn that Joey Vera would be their temporary replacement. After all, Vera seems to be our country’s answer to Sharlee D’Angelo these days. Also, of course, you have the long time relationship between him and Armored Saint bandmate, vocalist John Bush. All in all, a very sensible choice to fill in the gap left by Bello. Though I can’t help but wonder – aren’t two modified Mohawks in one band two too many?
Thankfully, we arrived a tad early. It turned out that the club had been oversold, and the fire marshal was reportedly onsite making sure no there were no violations, therefore we were forced to stand outside in line until enough people left that we could enter. This turned out to be more of a blessing that a curse. A blessing, both because we were able to get into the hot, crowded club just a few minutes before the Anthrax took the stage, thereby enabling me to spend the least amount of time possible in this uncomfortable environment, and also because I didn’t have to actually watch the horrible opening act, Downset. It was bad enough that I had to tolerate hearing that nu-metal drivel through the wall while I waited. Whoever made the decision to include this band on the bill should be pummeled mercilessly. Ick.
Anthrax finally took the stage, and kicked off with “What Doesn’t Die” from the new album. Vera proved to be a natural fill in, as expected, though his goofy antics fall short of the heights of goofiness Bello possessed, though this is not necessarily a bad thing. Personally, I was relieved back when Bush joined the band and they began to leave their 80s silliness behind, along with their dorky jams. Once again they neglected some of the gems of their Bush-era catalog, forsaking material from Stomp 442 and Volume 8 entirely, instead farther back and including three cover songs, “Got the Time,” “Antisocial” (which seem to always be in their set), and, of course, perennial set-closer “Bring the Noise.” And about “Bring the Noise” – considering where the rap metal movement ultimately ended up, I’m not so sure they should continue to be so proud of being the ones to start it… Regardless, though I once enjoyed the song (hey, I saw their tour with Public Enemy back in the day), I’ve been thoroughly sick of it for at least ten years now, and I cringe each time they trot it back out.
Fortunately, they rewarded patient fans like me who continue to come to their shows time and again, despite the oft repetitive set list, with a few old gems, one of which they have not trotted out in all the years I have been going to their shows - “Deathrider” and “Belly of the Beast” were, hands down, the my personal highlights of the set. Anthrax are still excellent performers and unfailingly provide their audiences with energetic performances, and tonight was no exception. The pit started early in the set and stayed ferocious throughout the night, and the temperature inside the club was positively sweltering, even with the doors thrown wide open. Reports of Keanu being in the house abounded, and though I did not see him, I imagine he was up in the VIP balcony, which was just as packed as the rest of the house.
Despite my complaints, I still enjoy seeing Anthrax live. They may not choose the songs I wish they would, but few bands do. But they can always be counted on to give their all at every show, and really, isn’t that what a good live band is all about? I may bitch and moan, and I certainly will hope for certain changes to their set list, but I will probably always be in the crowd whenever they play a town near me. And you should be too.
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