“40th Anniversary Global Streaming Event”
Anthrax
The Den at 20ft Bear Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Friday, July 16th, 2021
Our score 4 out of 5 stars
Twenty-twenty-one marks Anthrax’s 40th anniversary as a thrash metal band, during this time the band has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple Gold and Platinum certifications, garnered six Grammy nominations, and racked up a host of other accolades from the media, music industry, and fans. To commemorate this achievement on July 16th the band along with Danny Wimmer Presents hosted a streaming event titled the “40th Anniversary Global Streaming Event”. The performance was shot recently in Los Angeles, CA at the Den located within 20ft Bear Studios and featured songs from all eras of the bands career along with a few surprises.
Despite the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic still causing logistical nightmares for many touring bands it does not stop the need for recognition and celebration. No truer words have been spoken than when it comes to the 40th anniversary of one of the biggest bands in thrash metal, Anthrax. From the group’s early beginnings in Queens, NY to playing some of the biggest stages in the word as part of the “Big 4” tour and along the way releasing eleven studio albums this is a career that needs to be recognized! To celebrate the occasion Anthrax and Danny Wimmer Presents put together a brand-new show which they dubbed the “40th Anniversary Global Streaming Event”. Clocking in at over 2hrs the band dove deep into their impressive catalog ensuring that all periods of their career were represented. Making it into the set alongside staples like “Caught In a Mosh”, “Madhouse” and “I Am the Law” were lesser performed songs such as a cover of the Discharge song “Protest and Survive” which had not been performed live since 1997 along with “Keep it in the Family” and “Bring the Noise” which both had not been heard live since 2015. “Bring the Noise” was a double bonus as it featured a special guest spot by Public Enemy front-man Chuck D. D’s appearance instantly took me back to my younger years and to the days when MTV actually played music. Man, those were the days! Throughout the evenings stream amidst the top-notch sound and lighting production were brief interviews provided by various musicians and media personalities where they shared their own personal thoughts or experiences with the band. I found this part of the show to be great as it helped showcase the bands reach and impact across a variety of performance genres.
If the initial concert was not enough the main portion of the stream was followed by an additional stream which was made up of rehearsal footage, interviews with the band, a tour of NYC with Scott Ian and three bonus performances. The additional footage clocked in at just over forty-five minutes bringing the entire runtime for this special to nearly 3 hours! One thing I did find to be lacking was the band only performed in its current line up consisting of Joey Belladonna, Charlie Benante, Frank Bello, Scott Ian, Jon Donais. Yes, I know things can get tricky when trying to bring in past members and such however given the nature of the bands retrospective YouTube series which led up to this event recounting the bands history through new interviews with past and current members, I would have thought there could have been room to make this happen for the fans. Maybe this is something we can wish for during the 50th anniversary celebration. If you missed the streams initial debut it is available at until July 25th at anthraxlive.com. Do yourself a favor and check it out. You will not be disappointed.
Set List:
1.) Fight’Em ‘Til You Can’t
2.) Madhouse
3.) Caught in a Mosh
4.) Metal Thrashing Mad
5.) Got the Time
6.) I Am the Law
7.) Keep It in the Family
8.) Lone Justice
9.) The Devil You Know
10.) Be All, End All
11.) Now It’s Dark
12.) Antisocial
13.) In the End
14.) Medusa
15.) Evil Twin
16.) Indians
17.) A Skeleton in the Closet
18.) Aftershock
19.) Blood Eagle Wings
20.) Bring the Noise
21.) A.I.R.
22.) Among the Living
Encore: (featured in “Behind the Scenes” stream)
23.) Breathing Lightning
24.) Protest and Survive
25.) Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)