It’s been a rough week for Anthrax while on tour to say the least. First, guitarist Scott Ian was hospitalized in LA with a severe viral infection, which forced him to miss the band’s shows in Kansas City (January 26) and Indianapolis (January 27). Then, drummer Charlie Benante announced that he was leaving the tour to be with his terminally ill mother in New York. Luckily for the band, though, they didn’t have to cancel any shows thanks to the help of some friends.
During the shows, guitarists from both Testament and Death Angel (including Alex Skolnick, Eric Peterson, Rob Cavestany and Ted Aguilar) helped fill in for Ian on various songs, while Gene Holgan (who has been playing with Testament) filled in for Benante. While Ian has since returned to the road, Benante will sit out for the rest of the tour, with Hoglan pulling double duty behind the drum kit. Holgan (also of Fear Factory) had the following to say about filling in for Anthrax:
“I am honored to have been asked by Charlie to fill in for Anthrax in his time of need. We are all metal brethren, and this is what we do. Unite for the cause, unite for the fans, and unite for metal. Everybody on this tour has pulled together to keep this tour rollin’, everybody is kicking ass. And everyone on this tour is sending our love and respect to the Benante and Bello families. And Charlie, we can’t wait to have ya back where you belong, my man. I’m just keeping your throne warm for ya bro.”
As cool as it is to see Anthrax playing with Gene Hoglan and members of Testament and Death Angel, we wish it was under better circumstances. We’re glad to see that Ian has recovered from his health scare, and we send our condolences and best wishes to the Benante family. You can check out a few fan filmed clips from the two shows after the jump.
Anthrax with Alex Skolnick(Testament) in Kansas City, MO:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uTlDrYvFYU[/youtube]
Anthrax with Eric Peterson (Testament) in Kansas City, MO:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjWEMNrolxo[/youtube]
Anthrax with Rob Cavestany (Death Angel) in Kansas City, MO:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–czu4xqOFE[/youtube]
Anthrax with Ted Aguilar (Death Angel) in Kansas City, MO:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmeHsqtA0W0[/youtube]
Anthrax with Rob Cavestany and Gene Hoglan in Indianapolis, IN:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLoP4GnRa-E[/youtube]
[picture of Anthrax with Hoglan, Cavestany and Augilar courtesy of Death Angel’s Facebook]
[footage via 1vster and irnidotnet]
