ANTHRAX @ Starland Ballroom, Sayreville NJ! 6/3/05

Review & Photos by ~jo~

Being an Anthrax fan for over 20 years, I went to this sold out show with great anticipation and excitement! I could not believe I was going to see the original line up again after all these years! I was lucky enough to be there for sound check and hang out before the show (special thanks to CB and his wife!) and I was able to take some pretty cool shots in the process. So before I start this review, I would like to provide a few preliminary notes to "set the stage" so to speak. Imagine if you will, a jam packed room of 2,300 ANTHRAX fans, with video equipment all over to film the Live DVD, a HUGE center mosh pit and at least a dozen photographers ready to jump into the photo pit. I had my escape route planned from the photo pit and the security guys were going to "try" to keep us safe (one of the many benefits of being a chick taking pics at an Anthrax show!). Emergency medical technicians were standing by (that was kind of scary to be honest) and said "we'll take good care of you if something should happen to you". So, I was actually more relaxed than I thought I would be. You see the only thing I feared was getting hit in the head/neck by a body or limb crowd surfing or stage diving. Other than that, I was good. So there I am in the photo pit and I decide to look at the set list. We are supposed to be able to take photos for the first three songs. Well guess what the third song on the set list was? "Caught in a Mosh"!! Fuck! Not good from a safety standpoint. Now don't get me wrong, the crowd was not violent, just going insane with the classic metal stunts from the days we once knew! Needless to say, we were only permitted to shoot the first two songs...So I pressed my body against the stage for support and stayed in front of Scott Ian (far from center stage to reduce the risk of injury) and started shooting. From the corner of my eye I saw body after body fly over the other photographers and that was only the first song! Very exciting!! I had a security guard against my rear end protecting me the entire time! I did get pushed around a little bit, but nothing more than a few bruises and a sore neck (but that had to be from the "head banging", you just can't help it!).

And now, my review...

The lights dimmed on a packed house of 2,300 old and new Anthrax fans as VH1's "Behind the Music: Anthrax" started playing on a big screen center stage and every TV in the venue. The crowd went WILD!! The crowd was singing along with every song! You could feel the energy in the venue and it was a thrill to be there! Chills ran down my spine leaving me tingling from the level of excitement in the room! I was so impressed by the number of fans in the 18-24 year old age group that knew the music at this show! It was amazing!! Anthrax took the stage at @ 10:40pm to an overwhelming response of elation! It was like the last show I saw them play together over 13 years ago, if not BETTER!! Talk about talented musicians! For five guys to get back together after all these years and sound so SOLID together. Fucking astounding! Joey's voice is STRONGER than ever, Spitz was on FIRE (not to mention his muscles even have muscles), Bello was remarkable on bass and backing vocals and his stage antics were INSANE as usual, Ian was tremendous as usual with a grin on his face most of the time (not used to seeing that!) and Benante? Well Charlie is the God of the drums, no one can touch him! The man just plays the drums at the speed of light, you can just feel them radiate through your body when he plays! The band and the feeling in the room was so intense...I can not remember for the life of me the last time I felt that much enthusiasm and support for a band. And you know what? Anthrax deserves it! They always have, they always will! These guys just belong at the top of the metal food chain. Hell, ANTHRAX IS METAL!!! Joey and Frank took the lead keeping the crowd going and Scott got the mosh pits (note plural, they were all over the venue!) and the head bangin' in a frenzy throughout the show! During "Indians" right before **WAR DANCE** is screamed by the entire room, the music pauses and Scott shouted to the crowd "alright New Jersey, I wanna see one big mother fuckin' circle pit, right now mother fuckers, this is it!!" If you could have seen and heard the crowd (well you will when the DVD comes out!)!! I felt like I was in a huge stadium! Joey made sure to touch the hand of every person that got close enough to the stage while crowd surfing/stage diving and anyone else he could reach! The show was unbelievable from start to finish! The band, the set list, the sound system and all this was being captured Live on DVD! What a piece of memorabilia that is going be, I just can't wait! What a great mix of fans and even the younger fans knew the songs (which was awesome to see and hear!), so every song was a crowd pleaser. I can not even begin to choose my favorite song this time, because I loved each and every song and the entire experience was mind-blowing!!

The set list in order:

Among The Living

Got the Time

Caught in a Mosh

AIR

Madhouse

AntiSocial

Lone Justice

NFL

Deathrider

Medusa

In my World

Indians (no head dress on Joey though!)

Time

Metal Thrashing Mad

I'm the Man (Bello kicked ass on the vocals!!!)

Be All

I'm the Law

I am not even going rate this show on my rating system of 1-5 sets of devil horns, because they are so off the charts as entertainers, it just isn't necessary!! Horns way up high to Anthrax!!!! Whether you are an old school Anthrax fan or not, this is NOT a tour to miss! Click here to see all of my sound check and live shots from this show! Stay on top of all things Anthrax at their official site and be sure to catch them on their European leg of the tour starting next week!!! Shout it from the fuckin' roof tops, ANTHRAX IS BACK!!!!