New Yorkers got the show of a lifetime - until tomorrow, maybe - when members of Anthrax, Slayer, and Megadeth were joined by Mike Portnoy and Phil Anselmo for an entertaining, educational, and whiplash-inducing heavy metal clinic, followed by a free “secret” Anthrax concert at the underground Best Buy venue in Times Square.
Heavy security and vehicle checkpoints blanketed the streets around Times Square on Monday as the NYPD remained on high alert the day after the 10th anniversary of 9/11, but that didn’t stop metalheads from streaming towards the Best Buy Theater as early as 4pm for the much-hyped Metal Masters 2 clinic, a lead-up event to Wednesday’s Big 4 show at Yankee Stadium.
Hosted by Eddie Trunk and sponsored by Hartke, Samson, Revolver Magazine, and others, the clinic, much like February’s at Sam Ash (read about it here), featured Anthrax’s Frank Bello and Charlie Benante and Megadeth’s David Ellefson demonstrating some techniques and talking about their music careers, as video cameras streamed the event for online viewers around the world. Like last time, Bello was a natural joker at the microphone, heckling fans in the crowd and explaining how he likes to play bass along to pay-per-view pornography late at night. Benante and Ellefson also gave advice and played some classic tracks from their respective bands, and all three were helped out by drummer Mike Portnoy, currently of Adrenaline Mob (read my review of Adrenaline Mob’s debut show here) pounding the skins.
While at times the narration grew slow, the interactions gave way to some fantastic jamming, especially when Benante and Portnoy engaged in a drum duel that jumped around classic beats from Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Metallica, and more. But while fans gamely applauded the drum n’ bass routines, whispers circulated around the crowd wondering when advertised guest Kerry King of Slayer was going to appear, as well as the heavily-rumored guest singer Phil Anselmo.
The audience of about 300 fans didn’t have to wait too long - at the end of Portnoy and Benante’s jam, they broke into the unmistakable breakdown rhythm of Raining Blood, Portnoy’s high hats even imitating the track’s thunder and rain, and the fearsome Kerry King strode out on stage ripping through the classic metal riff as fans cheered wildly. Kerry declined to speak directly to the crowd as the other musicians had, but let his guitar do the talking instead. The group, now featuring Anthrax’s Scott Ian as well, jammed through Am I Evil, perhaps signalling that Wednesday night’s ‘Big 4 Jam’ will be a different song, and then ripped through some Slayer music as well, with Bello jumping on vocals and the crowd singing along.
Finally, with Kerry King and Scott Ian on guitar, Frank Bello and David Ellefson both on bass, and Mike Portnoy and Charlie Benante each on their own drum kits, the one and only Philip Anselmo appeared on stage to sing with one of the most impressive house bands the heavy metal world could ever muster. Phil last appeared at Best Buy Theater back in April, playing with his current New Orleans band Down (read my review of that bloody and brutal show here), but last night, he was there to play Pantera songs, music which he hasn’t sung live since the band broke up some ten years ago.
The crowd went absolutely berserk as the musicians ripped into the crushing riff from A New Level, the dual bassists and drummers adding a monstrous low end to the already brutal song: watch my high quality video of A New Level from last night in the left sidebar of this page. Mosh pits broke out for the first time of the evening as Phil stormed around the stage, screaming through the Pantera favorite while Kerry paid homage to Dimebag Darrell’s distinctive guitar playing. That epic was followed by an even more impressive rendition of F*cking Hostile, Phil clearly relishing his brief return to Pantera frontman as Ian, Portnoy, and Ellefson grinned broadly. Kerry King, as usual, had nothing but a stoic face on, but both on stage and in the audience, amid the frenzied headbanging and moshing, there was a clear sense of history in the making as the giants of the metal world shared the stage.
And just like that, the ‘clinic’ was over, and fans excitedly snapped pictures of the super-group posing on stage. But for the lucky New Yorkers who made sure to get to the venue early, much more was in store. Ellefson, Portnoy, Bello, Benante, and King all sat down to patiently sign autographs for almost an hour, chatting and posing for pictures with fans who excitedly got to meet their metal gods.
And around 9:30, the lights dimmed in the theater once more, and Anthrax came out in its entirety, singer Joey Belladonna and guitarist Rob Caggiano joining the rest of their bandmates for a full-length concert to celebrate the release of their new album Worship Music, which comes out today. Hundreds of more fans had since filled up the venue, and opening with new song Fight ‘Em Til You Can’t, Anthrax instantly had the whole theater charged up.
The only New York band out of the Big 4, Anthrax has often been considered the underdog in that group, with several vocalist changes over the years affecting the group’s studio and touring abilities, especially when compared to Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer and their die-hard fanbases and multi-year tours. But Monday night’s ‘secret’ show proved that Anthrax easily holds their own, as the band ripped through a hit-filled setlist that touched on all eras of their discography.
Belladonna took command of the stage, crouching and prowling around holding his microphone stand like a weapon, and howling through his vocals with an energy that should sound even better at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. A mosh pit opened up from the start, and kept up throughout the performance as fans sang along through songs like Caught In A Mosh and Anti-Social. The band offered up a second new song, The Devil You Know, and were then joined by Phil Anselmo once more for the classic track Indians, Phil both singing and playing Bello’s bass.
Bello and Ian played with a ferocious energy, Bello literally jumping up and down as he moved around the stage, and it seemed that the clinic had merely warmed up the group's members for their first headlining show in some time. They were tight, vicious, and sounded completely natural with Joey back on vocals, and fans frequently chanting out the singer’s name between songs. The setlist, mostly ‘Killer A’s,’ highlighted Anthrax’s most impressive songs from over the years, and it will be interesting to see how it compares to Wednesday night’s choices.
The show wrapped up with more favorites in Only and I Am The Law, and the beaming members of Anthrax encored with one last new song, Earth on Hell, as they proudly counted down the minutes to the midnight release of the new record. Waving a banner that incorporated the band name into the Yankees logo (see slideshow in the left sidebar), Joey and his bandmates reminded fans that they go on at 4pm sharp on Wednesday, and urged everyone to get inside Yankee Stadium early to catch their set.
Even rumors that Megadeth was pulling out of Wednesday’s concert (first announced, and since officially retracted on Blabbermouth.net) couldn’t kill the high level energy filling Best Buy for over six straight hours last night as anticipation builds for the Yankee Stadium show. With every band but Metallica represented, and the presence of Phil Anselmo not only uplifting, but historical as he reprised his role as Pantera frontman if only for 10 minutes, Monday night’s show was the perfect warm up for the Big 4, and an extra special and unique opportunity for New Yorkers who were able to witness it in person.
Stay tuned to Examiner.com for continuing coverage of this week’s thrash metal celebrations, up to and including the Big 4 concert, and see the links below for interviews with members of the Big 4 and your checklist for the most important metal concert of the decade. 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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