Anthrax Concert Review 2017 Setlist: Anthrax and Killswitch Engage tore up the stage at the Fillmore in Denver on 4/28/17 with a high energy show on their co-headlining KillThrax tour in front of a crowd of 4,000+.
First up was Anthrax. According to a few reviews I’d seen prior to this show they are rotating who opens and closes.
I’ve seen Anthrax five times: two times with Bush and now three times with Belladonna. This was, by far, the best of the Belladonna fronted concerts.
Anthrax is my favorite of the Big 4 for countless reasons. I’ll name a few. They’ve had such a varied career with two lead singers that I like equally (or 4 if you count the quickly ousted Dan Nelson and Turbin off the debut Fistful of Metal). They released Sound of White Noise which is not only my favorite Anthrax album but one of my favorite overall albums. They flirted with Bermuda shorts and rap rock with “I’m The Man” and “Bring The Noise”. They have a sense of humor and put it on full display with Attack of the Killer B’s. And they worship KISS. Some of these things turn off metal fans but, along with the songs, it’s what draws me to them.
The fact they don’t play anything from the Bush period of 4 albums is disappointing from a hardcore fan’s perspective. Not even “Only.” I get that besides SOWN that the other 3 were not big sellers with various label challenges. For the most part, Anthrax vanished from the public consciousness from 1995 until 2011’s spectacular Worship Music. With Bush, they covered the whole catalog live.
Back to the concert. They owned the crowd and prowled the stage for the entire set without slowing down. They opened with “Among the Living” and also played four more tracks from that album including “N.F.L.” which I’ve never heard live. “Evil Twin”, “Breathing Lightning”, and “Blood Eagle Wings” were featured from their latest release For All Kings. I love “Breathing Lightning” but would’ve preferred “Monster in the End” and “You Gotta Believe” for the other tracks from Kings and more from Worship Music. And nothing was played from Persistence of Time. Unfortunately Charlie Benante was not on drums, presumably from carpal tunnel issues he’s had over the last few years. But these are minor quibbles. It was a performance that left my adrenaline running so long that I stayed up much later than my assigned bedtime afterwards.
Full Anthrax Picture Gallery HERE:
I was there for Anthrax but I’m glad I stuck around for Killswitch Engage. I realize these dudes are popular but I can name zero of their songs. Holy balls do they bring it live. The intro music was “Fight for Your Right To Party” and Adam D puts on an entertaining clown show that is the complete opposite of what I expected, in a good way. Armed with a headband, short-shorts, a knee brace and a tuxedo T-shirt, Adam D did not stop moving as well as the rest of the band. And they encored with Joey Belladonna covering Dio‘s “Holy Diver.” They’ve convinced me to check out their catalog.
Full Killswitch Engage Picture Gallery HERE
If the KillThrax tour hits your town be sure to check it out. Both bands match each other in levels of energy and performance. Setlist below.
Want more rock? Check out Cobras & Fire: Rock Podcast starring Loose Cannon (the amazing writer and photographer of this article) and Bakko.
