So, I’ve got a bit of a jinx-paranoia streak where I feel bad speculating on people’s health, so I’ve been holding off on this story. Thankfully, our bros at MetalSucks are just completely shameless and discussed the odd circumstances of Anthrax’s recent string of cancellations and speculation over vocalist Dan Nelson’s health:
Alright, so just to play catch-up: last week Anthrax canceled some European dates because new vocalist Dan Nelson was apparently ill. We didn’t report on that because, well, it’s not, like, exciting news or anything. People get sick. Sometimes those people are performers who consequently have to miss performances. It sucks for the fans but it happens. Whatever.
But now Blabbermouth has made an interesting observation, one which suggests that all might not be well in Anthrax-land:
In addition to deleting his “DanNAnthrax” Twitter profile on July 16, [Nelson] has posted the following messages on his “DanNelson76″ account:
July 16, 3:47 a.m.: “Funny, I don’t feel so lucky…Wonder what everyone is talking about??”July 16, 4:28 a.m.: “is done.”
July 17, 7:54 p.m.: “loves his family and friends more than ANYTHING.”
Now, while the rumors over Nelson’s ailment and its severity haven’t been addressed, we do know he’s out of the band regardless. Manager Izvor Zivkovic’s statement:
As announced last week, thrash legends ANTHRAX regretfully cancelled the first three dates on the second leg of their European tour due to new vocalist Dan Nelson’s unexpected illness. An additional seven European dates are also cancelled, those scheduled from July 22 to July 30.
ANTHRAX is thrilled to announce that they will play the August 1 Sonisphere festival in Knebworth, England, with their good friend John Bush [ANTHRAX’s singer from 1992 to 2005] joining them for a very special one-off performance.
The members of ANTHRAX have confirmed the departure of vocalist Dan Nelson. In light of this development, ANTHRAX’s slot on the U.S. SLIPKNOT dates set for August and September, has also been cancelled. ANTHRAX is already actively considering lead singer candidates, and looks forward to hitting the road before the end of the year.
We’ll have more on this story as it develops. We send Nelson and his family our best wishes.
