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| Anthrax @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The Fox Theater was witness to a sonic assault a combined 100 years in the making on Saturday Night. Anthrax (42 years), Black Label Society (24) and Exodus (44) have been making eardrums weep and bodies fly overhead for decades now and the tour of the 3 longtime bands in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Anthrax (the extra years are a covid thing) brought a capacity crowd to Oakland that spanned at least three generations of fans for more than 4 hours of metal.
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| Exodus @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
First up were homecoming heroes Exodus. Drummer Tom Hunting may be the last original man standing from the thrash metal band’s 1979 founding in Richmond, but guitarist Gary Holt (who replaced original guitarist Kirk Hammett in 1983 when he joined Metallica), Zetro Souza (who replaced Bay Area and thrash legend Paul Baloff on vocals in 1986), guitarist Lee Altus and bassist Jack Gibson are still bringing the speed, power and edge that gave the band cult status even back in the day.
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| Exodus @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Exodus played like a band with something to prove and still a large chip of disdain and skepticism on their shoulder. Holt, wearing his “Kill the Kardashians” t-shirt and sweatband took lead of the band’s intensity from the outset with “The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves)" and then into the classic “A Lesson in Violence” as a large mosh pit broke out in the center of the general admission floor and a steady stream of bodies began crowd surfers began coming over the rail). Hunting’s rapid-fire drumming hasn’t lost a step despite being 57 years old and having battled stomach cancer. He wore a 49ers jersey with the number 23 and a “Fuck Cancer” nameplate on the back.
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| Gary Holt of Exodus @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Souza made remarks throughout their 9-song set of their ties to the Bay Area. When introducing the iconic “Bonded by Blood” he said that while all audiences are special, “none more than here where ‘Bonded by Blood’ was invented. I say Bay Area while we are in Oakland because we know that you all have come from all over” and then proceeded to list out about a dozen farther-flung cities. The band’s energy never sagged and the crowd never stopped moshing and crowd-surfing through the entirety of their performance.
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| Black Label Society's Zakk Wylde @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Black Label Society filled the middle slot of the bill with a very different tone than either the opener or headliner. The band is half as old and far from the thrash/speed metal genre. Though originally from New Jersey, lead singer and guitarist Zakk Wylde brings a heavy, southern swampy metal tone to life with his band when he is not playing lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne or the recent Pantera tribute. Wylde is a gigantic talent, presence and overall human on stage and nightly undergoes a workout that includes hundreds of steps up and off his high center-stage riser, dozens of guitar lifts over his head and uncountable arm pumps. Live, Wylde’s vocal and musical styles are wide-ranging, one minute bouncing from Seattle grunge style of Alice in Chains, deep Southern rock into moments of Guns ‘n’ Roses. The ballad “In This River” was delivered as a huge arena rock anthem with Wylde sitting at the piano and dedicating the song to the late Dime Bag Darrell and Vinnie Paul of Pantera with their likenesses being displayed in front of the giant amplifier stacks. Guitarist Dario Lorina took center stage and delivered an epic solo, while JD DeServio on bass and drummer Jeff Fabb provided powerful punch from the backline. The middle of the set also saw an awesome "Destruction Overdrive", driving "Trampled Down Below" and a soaring "Set You Free". Before “Fire It Up”, Wylde announced “incoming” and dozens of giant inflated beach balls were launched into the crowd as steam cannons shot to the Fox’s ceiling. “Fire It Up” was capped by Wylde and Lorina both performing a dual guitar solo over their heads – not a momentary solo, but rather at least three minutes. It was the most impressive moment on a night of dazzling metal guitar prowess. The band closed out a hard-driving set that, on this night, seemed a bit calm comparatively, with “Suicide Messiah” and “Stillborn.”
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| Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Three hours into the show, headliners Anthrax brought the highest speed and positive vibes to the second to the penultimate concert of this tour. Hitting the ground running “Among the Living”, the night’s fever pitch reached a crescendo as “Caught in A Mosh” followed and bodies began coming over the barricade every few seconds. Kudos must be given to the Fox Theater security team who throughout the night handled a massive amount of people coming over the rail with a kind, but firm escort to the side and took special care in assisting a wheelchair-bound crowd surfer. It was far from an easy paycheck up front on this night and their work protected a great time for the crowd, artists and many press and photographers.
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| Anthrax @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“Metal Thrashing Mad” saw rhythm guitarist and band founder Scott Ian doing some trademark stomping while Joey Belladonna’s vocal remained at the highest level (and key). Bassist Frank Bello could frequently be seen above Charlie Benante’s drum kit as the band took full advantage of the whole of the stage. Guitarist Jonathan Donais, who joined in 2013, provided some very nice riffs to go along with Ian – particularly on “Antisocial.”
Ian proudly proclaimed that the first time they played the Bay Area was at the Kabuki back in July 1984 and they had shared the bill with Exodus on that night as well. He introduced a surprise appearance of one of the Bay Area’s monster guitarist/vocalists Rob Flynn of Machine Head (and formerly Vio-lence). They blasted the band through “I Am the Law” as an old-school speed metal jam with all members taking a turn to lead the song and Belladonna constantly up on the riser egging on the crowd.
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| Scott Ian of Anthrax @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“Only” from 1993’s Sound of White Noise was given an anthemic treatment. Time has a way of turning songs of anger, aggression and isolation of our childhood into shared singalongs that bond three generations of audience members. It’s not that they have sold out or lost something, but rather evolved to mean more to many when heard together. Toward the end of the evening, Ian announced that after their next and last show of the tour, they would be heading to the studio to prepare a new album and promised they would be back in 2024 with a new tour. They delivered their covers of Joe Jackson’s “Got the Time” and Public Enemy’s “Bring the Noise” before ending their set with 1987’s classic “Indians” and a monstrous finish. As the song finished and Ian gathered the entire tour team and support staff on stage to take a group photo, the streets were filled with the happy buzz of a crowd that got exactly the night of metal they had hoped for.
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