Anthrax 9.12.11 Best Buy Theatre | New York City

Words by Veronica Silva | Photos by Joe Papeo

The Monday after an especially somber 10th Anniversary of September 11th, a thick layer of heavy metal poured over New York City. Before Anthrax would join Metallica at Yankee Stadium for the Big 4 concert, the band secretly made their way over to the Best Buy Theatre in Times Square for an unannounced show and Metal clinic.

Anthrax’s Rob Caggiano (“Rob G.”) graced fans with his presence immediately before the show, as the entire vibe of the performance was geared towards the lucky fans who had tickets. Lead singer Joey Belladonna’s playfulness shined throughout the duration of the loose set. At one point he even threw a blind fold over Caggiano’s eyes during “Madhouse.” The audience erupted in the sight of such an intimate performance. The band was sure to remind their fans that for the Yankee Stadium show Anthrax would be hitting the stage at 4pm sharp and urged everyone to get inside the Stadium early to catch their set.

www.anthrax.com

There was even a debut of an Anthrax/Yankee logo banner which kind of pissed off Mets fans but worked up some more hype for the Big 4 show. There were tremendous amounts of familiar faces, a good dose of moshing all in lieu of Anthrax’s new album, Worship Music, originally slated for release in 2009. The debut of “Earth on Hell”, introduced as a ballad from the new record did not disappoint. One should note Anthrax has had about a 9 year absence by way of a new album but as a band formed in NYC in 1981 – they’re no newbies.

To round out the night, Slayer’s Kerry King and Philip Anselmo took the stage for a shot with the band all showing good form. At the risk of playing favorites, my 1 of the 4 definitely goes to my city’s 80s thrash metal children.

Setlist:
Fight‘Em Til You Can’t
Got The Time
Caught In A Mosh
Antisocial
The Devil You Know
Indians
Madhouse
Metal Thrashin’ Mad
Only
I Am The Law

Encore:
Earth On Hell

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