Finally...YOUR PAL SOCIAL D HAS COME BACK TO ANTHRAX FO-RUM!
Straight outta summer vacation, here's the way I saw it June 28th.
Minutes before I leave to take a train to Helsinki, I find out that there's a meet&greet scheduled, so I quickly grab my copy of Worship Music, because it's the first Anthrax-related item I see. I arrive in Helsinki, meet my little brother, drink two beers, and head to the festival.
We arrive, laugh at stupid metalheads
, take a look at some shitty Finnish band performing, and decide that beer should be a good idea. Here's a fun fact: When I saw Anthrax at a Finnish festival in '05, some reporter took a picture and interviewed me for a magazine, because I was pretty much the only one with an Anthrax shirt on. I couldn't buy a tour shirt, because none had arrived. Fast forward to 2014, there are hundreds of young kids wearing all kinds of Anthrax clothing, and I can't get a shirt because they are sold out! Made me feel all warm inside.
It's almost time for the M&G, we see a not too long line, and head there. Once there I realize that the thing has been pushed back an hour. It sucks, but I've decided to meet the band, and that's that. There's some drunk middle-aged asshole trying to cut us in line, but I politely tell him to fuck off. Surprisingly he leaves without protest. Some kid asks me for a cigarette, but I don't give it to him. (I'm having hard enough time trying to quit myself)
Finally the line starts moving. I see from a distance that Charlie's not there, which is a bummer, but what are you going to do. There's also a sign saying no pictures inside the signing area, which is a bigger bummer. All of a sudden, there I am standing in front Joey Belladonna. I get so star-struck, that I feel ashamed to this day (usually I'm cool). Joey grabs the album I brought with me, opens the gatefold and signs his picture. I'm thinking to myself: "man, he's a pro!"
. I'm still too star-struck to realize that Joey's fist is hanging in front of my face, and I leave him hanging for a few seconds...until I finally snap out of it, give him the fist bump, say thank you and move along.
Next in line is Jon Donais. I say hi to him, he says it back to me, and that's pretty much it.
Frank Bello is the guy I've been looking forward to meeting the most, and he doesn't disappoint. He offers the fist bump first, which is good for me, and even takes time for some small talk with me. He thanks me for the support, I thank him and move along.
So here comes the HUUUGE Black Thirteen scoop I promised! Ok, it's going to be extremy underwhelming, but I'll tell you anyway. Obviously next in line is Scott. He signs the album and shakes my hand, but that's not enough. Not when he just disappears without a trace from here, so I decide to do the right thing. The brief conversation goes as follows:
Me: Hello Black Thirteen...
Scott: (First he looks like he doesn't know what I'm talking about, but then starts to grin)
Me: We miss you at the forum, you should come say hi.
Scott: Oh yeah?
Me: Yeah yeah, all five of us!
(He laughs, and I leave it at that.)
(I know it's not much, but at least he knows now that some of us are still here. I did for all of us who have stuck with the forum.)
By the time I've finished talking to Scott, Jon Dette has already signed my stuff. I say 'Thank you, Mr Benante'. He goes 'oh no, I'm not...', but I cut him off to let him off the hook (it was a joke because they look fairly alike).
Whoever said you shouldn't meet you idols can go suck a dick.
Straight outta summer vacation, here's the way I saw it June 28th.
Minutes before I leave to take a train to Helsinki, I find out that there's a meet&greet scheduled, so I quickly grab my copy of Worship Music, because it's the first Anthrax-related item I see. I arrive in Helsinki, meet my little brother, drink two beers, and head to the festival.
We arrive, laugh at stupid metalheads
, take a look at some shitty Finnish band performing, and decide that beer should be a good idea. Here's a fun fact: When I saw Anthrax at a Finnish festival in '05, some reporter took a picture and interviewed me for a magazine, because I was pretty much the only one with an Anthrax shirt on. I couldn't buy a tour shirt, because none had arrived. Fast forward to 2014, there are hundreds of young kids wearing all kinds of Anthrax clothing, and I can't get a shirt because they are sold out! Made me feel all warm inside. It's almost time for the M&G, we see a not too long line, and head there. Once there I realize that the thing has been pushed back an hour. It sucks, but I've decided to meet the band, and that's that. There's some drunk middle-aged asshole trying to cut us in line, but I politely tell him to fuck off. Surprisingly he leaves without protest. Some kid asks me for a cigarette, but I don't give it to him. (I'm having hard enough time trying to quit myself)
Finally the line starts moving. I see from a distance that Charlie's not there, which is a bummer, but what are you going to do. There's also a sign saying no pictures inside the signing area, which is a bigger bummer. All of a sudden, there I am standing in front Joey Belladonna. I get so star-struck, that I feel ashamed to this day (usually I'm cool). Joey grabs the album I brought with me, opens the gatefold and signs his picture. I'm thinking to myself: "man, he's a pro!"
. I'm still too star-struck to realize that Joey's fist is hanging in front of my face, and I leave him hanging for a few seconds...until I finally snap out of it, give him the fist bump, say thank you and move along.Next in line is Jon Donais. I say hi to him, he says it back to me, and that's pretty much it.
Frank Bello is the guy I've been looking forward to meeting the most, and he doesn't disappoint. He offers the fist bump first, which is good for me
, and even takes time for some small talk with me. He thanks me for the support, I thank him and move along.So here comes the HUUUGE Black Thirteen scoop I promised! Ok, it's going to be extremy underwhelming, but I'll tell you anyway. Obviously next in line is Scott. He signs the album and shakes my hand, but that's not enough. Not when he just disappears without a trace from here, so I decide to do the right thing. The brief conversation goes as follows:
Me: Hello Black Thirteen...
Scott: (First he looks like he doesn't know what I'm talking about, but then starts to grin)
Me: We miss you at the forum, you should come say hi.
Scott: Oh yeah?
Me: Yeah yeah, all five of us!
(He laughs, and I leave it at that.)
(I know it's not much, but at least he knows now that some of us are still here. I did for all of us who have stuck with the forum.)
By the time I've finished talking to Scott, Jon Dette has already signed my stuff. I say 'Thank you, Mr Benante'. He goes 'oh no, I'm not...', but I cut him off to let him off the hook (it was a joke because they look fairly alike).
Whoever said you shouldn't meet you idols can go suck a dick.
