So Anthrax is out on a small reunion tour, and one of the stops was here in Baltimore. Since Anthrax is one of my all-time favorite bands, and they were playing at a decent place (Rams Head Live in downtown), I decided to go. Mary did not go, as this grouping of bands is much too loud for her (shes also skipping the Opeth show next month wuss!). There were three opening bands: Mantis (eh), Sworn Enemy (better), and God Forbid (and better still). None of them were great, and they all sounded a lot alike. I personally would like to see bands that would fit a bit better with Anthrax (like Evergrey or Brainstorm). But none of them sucked horribly, and they all played with a good amount of energy and were having fun on stage, so it was cool.
Then Anthrax takes the stage and shows everyone else how it is done. The band sounded amazing, the set list was damn near perfect (we could do without Im The Man) as many classic tunes were played, and they seemed actually BETTER than they were twenty years ago. And the crowd was insane. First, the place was totally packed, both upstairs and down. There was plenty of head banging, singing along (often the crowd was as loud as the band), and lots of crowd surfing. I had not seen crowd surfing in years (usually Im at shows with about 100 people and/or prog shows dont really generate this sort of enthusiasm), and it was interesting to watch people who had not yet been born when these albums were released rocking out to the tunes. There were also a good number of kids at the show. And I mean like 12 and under. And they all seemed to be into it, and not just drug to the show so mom could re-live her youth.
Overall, a pretty damn cool evening, and I highly suggest catching the show if it comes to your town. Much like the Testament show I caught last year, this was another reunion show that was totally worth it.
Oh, and for an interesting take on the show, as well as thoughts on what its like to get older as a metal fan, I suggest reading this blog entry from Brian Keene, horror author and one of the people I went to the show with: http://hailsaten.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_hailsaten_archive.html#113665863957143812
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Then Anthrax takes the stage and shows everyone else how it is done. The band sounded amazing, the set list was damn near perfect (we could do without Im The Man) as many classic tunes were played, and they seemed actually BETTER than they were twenty years ago. And the crowd was insane. First, the place was totally packed, both upstairs and down. There was plenty of head banging, singing along (often the crowd was as loud as the band), and lots of crowd surfing. I had not seen crowd surfing in years (usually Im at shows with about 100 people and/or prog shows dont really generate this sort of enthusiasm), and it was interesting to watch people who had not yet been born when these albums were released rocking out to the tunes. There were also a good number of kids at the show. And I mean like 12 and under. And they all seemed to be into it, and not just drug to the show so mom could re-live her youth.
Overall, a pretty damn cool evening, and I highly suggest catching the show if it comes to your town. Much like the Testament show I caught last year, this was another reunion show that was totally worth it.
Oh, and for an interesting take on the show, as well as thoughts on what its like to get older as a metal fan, I suggest reading this blog entry from Brian Keene, horror author and one of the people I went to the show with: http://hailsaten.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_hailsaten_archive.html#113665863957143812
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