On September 14th, metalheads from across the East Coast will be converging on the Bronx as Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax - The Big 4 of thrash metal - play their second ever US date together. This historical show will be at the new Yankee Stadium, only the third concert to be held there after last year’s Eminem/Jay Z show and June’s Paul McCartney two night stand. The Hard Rock Examiner is speaking with a member of each of the four bands, as we here in New York anticipate the heavy metal show of the decade.
Examiner: Hey Charlie, thanks for speaking with me today. Where are you calling from today?
Charlie: I’m home, I’m in Chicago right now.
Examiner: Anthrax is generally considered a New York City band, though, do you feel that’s true in 2011?
Charlie: We are, we are. You don’t necessarily have to live in a state to call it home. But Chicago, for us, has always been like a second home. We’ve always had the best shows here in Chicago. I don’t know why that is, but it’s always been that way, and I decided to move out here a couple of years back. And you can never take the New York out of the New Yorker.
Examiner: So we’re talking about the Big 4, which will be playing here in New York at Yankee Stadium on September 14th.This idea of the Big 4... it’s become this huge blockbuster concept, but do you remember how you first got word that there might be something brewing with you guys, Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer a couple of years back already?
Charlie: I’ll tell you the first time it was ever spoken about. Scott and I were invited out to Cleveland for the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, Metallica was going to be inducted, and after the ceremony and everything, there was a party, and Scott, myself, and Lars were hanging out at the bar having a drink, talking, bullsh*tting about whatever, and Lars just said to us “Hey, wouldn’t it be great to just do a Big 4 show or tour?” And we looked at each other like “wow, yeah that would be f*cking great you know!” So that’s how it happened.
Examiner: It’s common knowledge that you helped Metallica when they were living in New York in the very beginning of their career, but do you have personal relationships with guys from the other bands?
Charlie: Oh yeah. We’re very much friendly. I could text message or call anyone and say “what’s going on?” And I think now we’re at the point where we’re so mature and there’s no competition or anything like that, and it’s very “hey what’s up,” “hey what’s going on,” that type of thing.
Examiner: What do you think of Yankee Stadium as a venue for a show like this?
Charlie: Man, it’s like... we haven’t done it yet, so I can’t tell you what the experience will be, I can only tell you the emotion going into it, what it means to me especially, and to the other guys who are huge Yankee fans, and growing up in the Bronx for me, this is something that I thought would never happen. For us, playing Madison Square Garden was it, because we’re New Yorkers, and playing the great arena there was it, that was the top. But now? Yankee Stadium? I don’t even know how I’m going to feel after this. I don’t even know if my feet will touch the ground.
Examiner: Some people aren’t so happy about the venue because the seats are so expensive, the top nosebleeds start at $90, and they’re also saying that it should be full general admission, instead of fans being stuck in seats.
Charlie: Well these are things we have no control over, because we’re not setting up, we’re just playing. I don’t know, I haven’t heard any negativity about it, maybe it’s not directed towards us, you know?
Examiner: Of course not, the bands have no direct say in the ticket prices or anything like that.
Charlie: If I told you I had to pay for tickets for my own family, would you believe me?
Examiner: You know what, I do believe it. I’m having a hell of a time trying to get my own press ticket. Everyone I’m talking to is saying there’s nothing available, so I really do believe they’re making you pay.
Charlie: I have to pay for my family to come see me play.
Examiner: What’s filtering back to me, is that the Yankees’ management is running the show, and not a label or real band management.
Charlie: Well the Yankees are promoting it, and of course the Yankees wanna make all the money, so... What do you do? Not do it?
Examiner: Well, obviously it’s a historic chance. But maybe New Meadowland’s Stadium would’ve been a better option?
Charlie: Well it’s a matter of the prestige of Yankee Stadium. Metallica has played Giants Stadium before, not the new one, but they have done it before. And I just think that this has way more significance. You can say to your kids, “I played Yankee Stadium.” And it rolls off your tongue a lot better than saying “I played some stadium in Jersey.”
Examiner: You’re the drummer, but I know you’ve played guitar on some Anthrax records too. What is it about the guitar and drum playing that differentiates thrash metal, what you and Metallica do, from other metal bands like say Iron Maiden or Judas Priest?
Charlie: I think a lot of times, with our form of music, and I know it’s the same with Metallica, the drums and the rhythm guitars follow each other, where with other bands the bass and drums are locked in. But for us it’s always been the rhythm guitars and the drums that have been locked in. So maybe that’s where the difference lies. Me and Scott play off of each other, his right hand is going with my kick drum most of the time.
Examiner: Can you name your favorite Megadeth, Slayer, and Metallica songs?
Charlie: Metallica would be Master of Puppets. If I’m somewhere near the stage and I hear that song starting, I have to go watch because there’s something about it. And it has another significant meaning, about Cliff Burton to me. Both bands were on tour in 1986 overseas and they were on the Puppets record, and one day we had a day off in England, and it was me, Scott, Kirk, and Cliff, and we went to breakfast. And we sat down and were just talking about stuff, and I said “In the song Master of Puppets, right before the lead break comes in, James screams something out, and I can never understand what he says. What is it?” And Cliff looked at Kirk like, “I don’t even know.” And we were ordering breakfast at the time, and there was a bit of silence at the time, and Cliff said “I think he says ‘pancakes.’” And we all started laughing, and it was funny, and then every show after that on that tour, when I would be on the side of the stage watching and that part would come up, Cliff would always look at me and mouth the word “pancakes.” So let’s go forward 20something odd years, and here we are at the dinner before the first Big 4 show in Poland, we had this dinner set up, Metallica had all the bands there. And I was talking to James about some things and that story came up, and I told him, and he thanked me so much for telling him that story, because so much from that time is a blur to him, so when he hears stories it helps him remember the good times back then. So first show, in Poland, they did Puppets. But I wasn’t on stage. And the next day Robert goes to me, “Where were you? James screamed out “pancakes!’” So he does it now.
Examiner: That’s amazing. So you’re saying that anyone at the Big 4 in September should listen, and they’ll hear James scream ‘pancakes’ at that point?
Charlie: Well the lyric is ‘fix me,’ but you never know, he might blurt out pancakes. So that’s another reason why I love that song.
Examiner: How about Megadeth and Slayer?
Charlie: Well Megadeth I love the song on Peace Sells called The Conjuring. It’s just a great f*cking song, great guitar playing on that record, on that song, everything about it I just love. And of course Slayer I’d have to pick At Dawn They Sleep.
Examiner: Now this Big 4 show is going on the same time as your new album, Worship Music comes out. I gotta say, they sent me an advance copy just yesterday, and I’ve been listening to it nonstop. It’s just hitting me, like the first time you heard Metallica’s Black Album. Every song could be a radio hit, the production is so clean. So how do you guys decide between playing new songs that you want to, and deserve to show off, and playing the hits that made you part of the Big 4 til this point?
Charlie: Well, we talked about the set we’re going to do for the Yankee Stadium show, and of course we want to do new songs, because for us, it’s been building up and building up and building up, and it’s like god, I have to play these new songs, we’ve been playing these other ones for forever, and we know that they’re favorites, but we’d hope that the audience would want to hear these new songs now because there’s new life in the band. New energy, new love for these songs.
Examiner: So have you picked a setlist for the show yet?
Charlie: We’re definitely going to play Fight ‘Em Til You Can’t, and we’re probably going to play The Devil You Know, and we may pick another one.
Examiner: Do you have a favorite song on the record?
Charlie: This week it’s still In The End.
Examiner: You also have a song called Judas Priest, and I listened to it several times this morning trying to figure it out. Is it about the band?
Charlie: It’s not about the band Judas Priest, but when we were reworking that song, the day we started, Scott and I were working on it, and Judas Priest announced that they were going to call it a day, and we were completely bugged out about that headline. So we just gave that song a working title of Judas Priest, and it just stuck. So there’s a section in that song that we were having fun with, we were emailing back and forth, we should take a bunch of Priest titles and make a middle section out of it. There’s parts that go “Rapid fire, genocide, screeeeeaming...” You know, all these kind of Judas Priest references. And when you do something like that, it’s a bit tongue in cheek, but it’s also loyalty, and you’re paying tribute to this band that pretty much helped shaped your careers.
Examiner: So after the Yankee Stadium show, what’s next for live Anthrax shows?
Charlie: We will be hitting America in October or November.
Examiner: A headlining tour?
Charlie: That will be a headlining tour, yes.
Examiner: When do you expect to release dates for that tour?
Charlie: Fairly soon, we’re just waiting for the last two weeks of it before we announce it. And I think we’re going to take some of the second wave of thrash bands, like Testament and Death Angel with us.
Examiner: How about any more Big 4 shows here in the US?
Charlie: I hope so, I really hope so. It would be an injustice if we didn’t take this to the rest of the country, and to Canada, and South America. But especially parts of America, the midwest needs a Big 4 show.
Examiner: Maybe your new hometown of Chicago.
Charlie: Hey man, two nights at Wrigley, let’s do it!
Check back for interview with the other three bands of the Big 4, and as always, stay in the loop with the Hard Rock Examiner for further information on tickets and all local rock and heavy metal news by subscribing at the top of this page, or follow me at twitter.com/NYROCKEXAMINER.
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