Like many others, I ventured to the HOB on Saturday night to catch Anthrax (with my free ticket in hand) so I could see for myself what this reunion was all about.
I have to admit, leading up to the show I was feeling uneasy, because like Scott Ian I am also...concerned about the civilian population, the potential DRAFT, and the right to dissent from having our government force us to abrogate our personal rights and alter the condition of our mind or bodies. Just like Scott, I kept asking myself Do citizens of the United States have sovereignty over their own bodies? The Bioshield Act says no! I thought.
And luckily, just like Charlie, I also like to look over the Declaration Of Independence in my free time, so between bands, I brushed up on where this nation's founders stood on such ideas.
That being said, the show was painfully uninspired...the crowd was great, they kicked ass as always, but the band...meh.
The positives: Frank Bello. The walls of the building could be coming down and he would still put on an amazing show. He is the best at what he does. He never lets up.
The show also sounded great from a purely technical point of view. Their sound engineer, whoever he or she may be, did a great job.
Song selection: pretty good. Deathrider was terrible though. That is a Neil Turbin song that has been kicked in the ass by John Bush, Joey should stay away from it like he has the year 2005.
The Negatives: Well...I am not going to all-out bash him because he seems like a great guy, but Belladonna just does not have "it". Watching him last night just reminded me of all the reasons I thought and Anthrax said (many times) that they moved on. Not long ago, I watched John Bush kick everyone's ass at the Dimebag Memorial show and in just a couple of months I stood there shaking my head in disbelief that this is happening.
Also, Dan Spitz seems like an arrogant fool up their. He was strutting around like he thought he was the coolest fucker on the planet and he isn't. He digs himself WAY more than anybody else does. No energy at all. Did play alright? The solos were almost note for note, but without ANY feeling, soul, and the aforementioned energy. Just flacid.
As for Scott and Charlie, they seemed to be going through the motions...yeah Scott did his little stomps and jumps, but it seemed like that was solely for the photographers. Even the timing seemed a little off, which I have never heard from these guys in the past 12 or so years.
And if I can knit pick a little more, I think its lame that they had the same wardrobe idea that they've been using for the past two years but now with the Metallic"A". C'mon think of something new and different.
I will be honest, I went thinking that I would totally hate it and left just being bored and apathetic. Which is even worse.
I have to admit, leading up to the show I was feeling uneasy, because like Scott Ian I am also...concerned about the civilian population, the potential DRAFT, and the right to dissent from having our government force us to abrogate our personal rights and alter the condition of our mind or bodies. Just like Scott, I kept asking myself Do citizens of the United States have sovereignty over their own bodies? The Bioshield Act says no! I thought.
And luckily, just like Charlie, I also like to look over the Declaration Of Independence in my free time, so between bands, I brushed up on where this nation's founders stood on such ideas.
That being said, the show was painfully uninspired...the crowd was great, they kicked ass as always, but the band...meh.
The positives: Frank Bello. The walls of the building could be coming down and he would still put on an amazing show. He is the best at what he does. He never lets up.
The show also sounded great from a purely technical point of view. Their sound engineer, whoever he or she may be, did a great job.
Song selection: pretty good. Deathrider was terrible though. That is a Neil Turbin song that has been kicked in the ass by John Bush, Joey should stay away from it like he has the year 2005.
The Negatives: Well...I am not going to all-out bash him because he seems like a great guy, but Belladonna just does not have "it". Watching him last night just reminded me of all the reasons I thought and Anthrax said (many times) that they moved on. Not long ago, I watched John Bush kick everyone's ass at the Dimebag Memorial show and in just a couple of months I stood there shaking my head in disbelief that this is happening.
Also, Dan Spitz seems like an arrogant fool up their. He was strutting around like he thought he was the coolest fucker on the planet and he isn't. He digs himself WAY more than anybody else does. No energy at all. Did play alright? The solos were almost note for note, but without ANY feeling, soul, and the aforementioned energy. Just flacid.
As for Scott and Charlie, they seemed to be going through the motions...yeah Scott did his little stomps and jumps, but it seemed like that was solely for the photographers. Even the timing seemed a little off, which I have never heard from these guys in the past 12 or so years.
And if I can knit pick a little more, I think its lame that they had the same wardrobe idea that they've been using for the past two years but now with the Metallic"A". C'mon think of something new and different.
I will be honest, I went thinking that I would totally hate it and left just being bored and apathetic. Which is even worse.
