Anthrax
The Radius
Chicago, IL, USA
January , 2023
by Adam Bielawski
The Anthrax 40th Anniversary tour brought Chicago a bit of East Coast to West Coast heavy metal. A chilly night in streets in Chicago near Cermak and Halsted and one of the newer venues called the Radius. The vehicle parking situation was not too bad getting in, however the $40 parking was a bit excessive. I wonder if the real financial make out here was the parking which probably took in more than a thousand cars. Although there was street parking if you were willing to walk a block or two. Walking into the Radius through security was pretty quick and right into the merchandise booths of some great looking shirts. The lineup tonight was Exodus, Black Label Society and Anthrax.
The show started promptly at 6:30 as the Bay Area thrashers, Exodus, hit the stage. My eyes were immediately focused to guitarist Gary Holt’s black and red trimmed guitar labeled Officer Hold with a police shield.
Gary Holt throughout the show went through various guitars which were just as impressive. Exodus has been in the business for over 40 years with almost dozen albums, the latest being Persona Non Grata (2021) and tour. Part of heavy metal history is that Metallica’s guitarist Kirk Hammett was one of the founding members of Exodus. The roster changed over the years but Steve “Zetro” Souza (vocals), Gary Holt, Tom Hunting (drums), Jack Gibson (bass), and Lee Altus (guitar) have kept Exodus on the heavy metal charts and tours for the past 40 years. For 45 minutes Exodus brought this fierce metal family to the circle pit with their classics Blood In, Blood Out, A Lesson in Violence, and The Toxic Waltz. A note, recently in the new season of the Netflix series Cobra Kai Bonded in Blood was mentioned. How awesome is that! Make some noise!
An intro Whole Lotta Sabbath a mix of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath as the curtain came down to the guitar heavy metal greatest front man, Zakk Wylde and Black Label Society (BLS). Wylde’s stance playing a guitar is what metal is all about. Black Label Society formed in 1998 and went through several cast members.
Tonight we seen the talents of Dario Lorina, John “J.D.” DeServio, and Jeff Fabb, bringing a powerful and memorable experience for fans of heavy metal music. Wylde and Lorina went through many guitar changes but the focus ceter states was always Zakk Wylde performing solos an singing with aggressiveness such as Suicide Messiah. During the show here at the Radius, Zakk introduced a member of the Chicago Chapter of BLS, who came out on stage with a loud speaker and sang along. BLS’ guitar riffs are very much blues-inspired with high energy making it natural metal. The show concluded with Stillborn a known single by all these BLS family also known as the Doom Crew.
The Anthrax 40th Anniversary tour was a celebration of the band’s illustrious career in thrash and heavy metal genre. Anthrax fans were treated to a night of high-energy, heavy metal mayhem as the band played some of their biggest hits which included Caught In The Mosh, I am The Law, Bring the Noise and Indians. Lead singer, Joey Belladonna brought his A-game to on vocals. Scott Ian (guitar) and Frank Bellow (bass) were full of energy performing and taking leaps like back in the 1980s. The fans who came out were thrashing, singing every lyric and head banging along to every song. The average age of attendees was over 40 or 50, I am sure there will be some hurting necks.
That said, Anthrax, Black Label Society, had more than your average young moshing friends out at this show. The stage production was impressive, featuring 40 years of album covers, stunning lighting and special effects that added to the overall experience. Overall, the Anthrax 40th anniversary tour was a triumph, a testament to the band’s longevity and enduring popularity. Fans left the show feeling energized and inspired. Closing out the concert with Rainbows, originally put down on vocals by Ronnie James Dio, the heavy metal classic, “Long Live Rock and Roll.” I am already looking forward to for next time Anthrax visit Chicago to perform live in concert.
Caught In the Mosh
