The names Anthrax, Black Label Society, and Exodus together on one bill should speak for itself as an absolute dream team lineup for the metal scene.
Long lines at the merch table added to the crowd as patrons thickened outside the entrance to the event center and after a short delay of doors opening, fans were greeted by Eric, head of security, with a megaphone giving instructions on how they wanted the already ecstatic crowd to enter while avoiding any issues. A few fellow photographers and I made our way into the pit as we hung with security joking about how expectations for tonight’s show would be the catch and release of mostly mid-aged men while wondering how big the mosh pit would actually get. Well, post-event I can tell you all bets were off as the age range of men and women surfers and the size of the pit was nothing short of the respect these bands on this bill deserved.
The lights dimmed and for a few mins Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You” played.
Like Anthrax, Exodus, is one of the pioneers of Thrash Metal. To the point that they are part of the great debate of being included in the big 4 along with fellow thrash legends Testament, Overkill, and Death Angel. After a few minutes, spectators could see the shadows of Steve “Zetro” Souza (vocals), Jack Gibson (bass), Lee Altus (guitar), Gary Holt, and the only original member, Tom Hunting (drums). Opening the night with “The Beatings Will Continue”. Exodus gave us a compilation of songs from 5 albums, with one thrash classic after another. This was my second time seeing Exodus, the last time being a spectator in the nosebleed seats at The Paramount Theater in NYC over a decade ago. Tonight, The view from the pit was almost surreal: being up close and personal for favorites like ‘Blood In Blood Out” and then all the way through the closer “Strike of the Beast.” During Exodus set, it showed me just how wrong my earlier conversation with security was, as I watched a young boy in a KISS shirt, who if I had to guess, was no more than 7 years old floating through the crowd like he was playing airplane with a crowd of metal heads. I’m gonna assume it was a positive experience for him as I later saw him surfing his way back for more, giving me some faith in the next generation of music lovers. As the set came to an end, Souza brought two young onto the stage while Gary Holt helped one play a few chords on his guitar.
As the lights were raised for a changeover, a giant Black Label Society banner covered the stage as the “first to bleed and last leave” road crew got to work causing fans’ excitement to escalate and the cheers filled the venue. Moments later the crowd roared again as for a brief moment you could see Zakk Wylde peeking around the corner of the banner with one of his action figures. (Anyone that follows Zakk on social media is familiar with these hilarious stage walk videos). I stood to the side of the pit waiting for the banner to drop and my camera pointed and ready as Zakk and his bandmates, John “JD” Deservio (bass), Dario Loria (guitar), and Jeff Fabb (drums). once the banner dropped, a sea of metal horns went up. You could feel the rumble of energy takes over as the first few notes of “Funeral Bell” rang through the walls.
Full disclosure, BLS is a top-five all-time personal favorite of mine. The adrenaline stormed through the venue like a tornado mixed with a title wave. Zakk is without a doubt the star of the show but shares a large portion of the spotlight with Dario. JD played with a smile almost bigger than him. I can guarantee he will blow the ears off any giant with his sick riffs.
Tonight was unique as I was able to shoot an entire set instead of the industry standard first three songs. That meant I would get to be front and center, (less than 10 feet away) for Zakk’s piano performance of “In This River” and dedication to the late greats Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul while a backdrop featuring the faces of late artists hung, and as raised his mug, uttered “Cheers” and “We miss you”. After a 13-song set of fan favorites, BLS brought the show to a close with “’Suicide Messiah” finishing with “Stillborn.”
With a huge white curtain hanging in front of the stage, a video began to play compiled of celebrities sharing their love for Anthrax, from their 40th Anniversary celebration a few years ago. Just as the video ended, the curtain dropped. Fans screamed as you could see Joey Belladonna (vocals), Frank Bello (bass), Scott Ian (guitar), Jonathan Donais ( guitar), and Charlie Benante (drums) enter the stage. With almost 4 decades of righteous songs to choose from, the band kicked off the set with “Among The Living” and continued with greats like “Keep It In The Family”, and “In The End.” Any Anthrax fan already knows that Frank Bello is an absolute beast, but tonight you could feel even more energy than usual as he and Charlie, Scott, and Jonathan delivered explosive performances.
Ian took a quick minute to thank Pennsavanians for the support while bantering with the prideful crowd full of Eagles fans. And even after he announced his love of the NY Giants, the loyalty of his fans still radiated across the room as he prompted the crowd saying “I really need you to dig deep, I only need you to say one word with two syllables” and then screamed ‘ONLY” and the band broke into the song of the same name. Joey Belladonna’s superb vocals melted the face off of spectators as “I Am The Law” played. After renditions of Joe Jackson’s “Got The Time” and Public Enemy’s “Bring The Noise”, the adrenaline-filled neck-hurting crowd was given a kick-ass close-out performance of ‘Indians”. A perfect end to a legendary night. My recommendation is to catch one of these shows for a night of unaltered classic metal that you haven’t seen in a very long time before it’s too late.
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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY MELISSA STILES/OPTIC MONKEY IMAGES