The musical term "heavy metal" gets thrown around a lot. So much so that there are times where it's almost lost its meaning. The classic example of term misappropriation was when Jethro Tull, a decidedly very un-metal band, beat out Metallica for Best Hard Rock/Metal album at the 1988 Grammy Awards. The fact that people thought that the flute-toting Jethro Tull fit in with the likes of Metallica had metalheads questioning whether or not the rest of the music community had lost their collective mind. It felt as though their efforts to change the world with their cathartic, ultra-aggressive music were for nothing. A totally baffling moment in music history to say the least.
Of course, sometimes the term is accurately applied and a band is actually deserving of the label. Such is the case of legendary New York metal band Anthrax. With double bass drums and electric guitars that come at you like an iron fist, Anthrax has definitely earned their rightful place in the Heavy Metal pantheon. On Wednesday night their "Earth on Hell" tour made its final U.S. stop at Times Square's Best Buy Theater and Examiner was there.
After an opening set by Death Angel, followed by an hour-long strobe-lit metal assault by Testament, fans readied their eardrums for the legendary headliners. Formed 30 years ago, the five members of the band (Singer Joey Belladonna, bassist Frank Bello, guitarist Scott Ian, drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Rob Caggiano) took the stage wearing matching logos across the backs of their shirts that read "30" in giant yellow letters to acknowledge the anniversary. Giving the logo the special Anthrax touch, the "0" was replaced with a pentagram, while inside the "3" baseline read the dates "1981-2011" in black.
With giant pentagrams as their backdrop, the band launched into the furious opener "Earth On Hell" as the floor immediately became a sea of raised fists and a giant mosh pit broke out. However, even though the main area of the theater was a hotbed of activity from the get-go, drummer Benante stopped mid-set during the opening notes of "Indians", due to a supposed concern that the seated and VIP sections weren't getting rowdy enough. Guitarist Ian took the mic and ordered the crowd to get crazy regardless of their sex, age or physical handicap. "New York City, we know what you're capable of!" he said, motivating them to yell louder and headbang harder. With that, the band went back into the song as people War-Danced away to the '87 mosher classic.
The evening was a happy occasion in that New York City was excited to help the band celebrate the band's 30th anniversary, but it was also bittersweet. Sadly, Benante's Mother, who is also bassist Bello's Grandmother, just passed away this week. But, as Ian told the crowd, "These guys found it in their hearts be here for you. And what could be better than this right now?" To show their support, fans chanted "Char-lie! Char-lie! Char-lie!" Ian appreciated the cheers: "I know it's not very metal to say it, but there's a lot of love in this room!"
The band finished out the show with another classic headbanger, "I Am The Law", joined by Death Angel's singer Mark Osegueda and Armored Saint's Joey Vera, who took over bass mid-song (Vera had filled in for Bello while he and Benante took time to be with their family). As Anthrax and additional members of the tour came up on stage to take their final bows, Ian thanked everyone and reminded the crowd that until they see them again this summer, "Please remember to always worship music!"
Check out my photos from the show here, with additional shots from Wednesday night here.
To keep up with Anthrax news, including their upcoming dates for this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival where they'll be headlining the Jagermeister Stage, check out their official site. You can follow them on Twitter at @Anthrax. Follow me on Twitter at @concertexaminer!
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