Anthrax came to town on their 40th anniversary tour and brought two incredible bands to support them. First one up was Hatebreed. The fans showed up early and the place was packed before they even went on. they are easily the heaviest band in the lineup. They worked their way through a 15-song set that included “Proven”, “This is Now”, “Empty Promises”, “Tear it Down”, “live for This”, and “I Will Be Heard”. It was an extremely solid set that really got the crowd going. They are a fantastic band with great musicianship.
Second on the bill was Black Label Society featuring Zakk Wylde on guitar. Every time I see this band, I like them more and more. The songwriting is exceptional along with the musicianship. They opened their set with “Funeral Ball” And ended with “Still Born”. They dedicated the song “In This River” to the memory of Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul. Rumor has it that Pantera will be going on tour next year. It’s the lineup includes Zakk Wylde on guitar and Charlie Benante from Anthrax on drums.
Black Label Society played a very long set that also included “Overlord”, “Fire it Up”, “Heart of Darkness”, and “Trampled Down Below” Just to name a few. They are a solid of a band as I have ever seen. I highly recommend checking all these bands out when you get a chance.
Headliners Anthrax gave the fans what they were there for! A solid set of songs from their entire carrier. They opened with “Among the Living”. They played a lot of the songs you would expect them to like “Caught in a Mosh”, “I Am the Law”, “Bring the Noise”, and “Indians”. But the song that really pushed the crowd over the edge into insanity was “Madhouse”. Who doesn’t like a good mosh pit or crowd surfing? I guess the only ones that don’t are the poor security guards. But they did a great job of keeping everybody safe.
One of the many things I’ve always appreciated about Anthrax is how much energy they give you at every show. All five of the band members are fully present and doing everything they can to entertain that audience. I really like the setup too as far as the look of the stage for anthrax. It was colorful with some stairs and the lighting was excellent. It just added a lot to the performance. Let’s face it they are one of the BIG 4 and there’s a reason. It was just great to go to the Fillmore which is one of my favorite concert venues in Minnesota and see a sellout crowd attending something that’s not a rap concert. I stood out front after the show was over and saw fans wearing shirts from all three of these bands. Everyone was represented and it was just a great night of loud rock’n’roll music.
ANTHRAX
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY & HATEBREED
