Frank Bello, the bassist of Anthrax, finally disclosed the specific details of the “medical concern” that led to the cancellation of two shows in Dallas and Austin, Texas, on the band’s tour throughout North America with Black Label Society and Hatebreed in an interview with Meltdown of Detroit’s WRIF radio station.

 According to a transcript compiled and completed by the staff of Blabbermouth, Bello explained that “We got COVID. Joey [Belladonna, vocals], Charlie [Benante, drums] and myself, all at once, we all got COVID at the same time…ANTHRAX, for us to cancel a show, it’s gotta be pretty bad. We’ve played with high fevers and flus and everything — we’ve played through everything — but that COVID thing… I mean, we got lucky by only canceling two shows. It was a rough one. I tried everything. But I think Joey, it just landed in his throat, so we couldn’t go. It made sense… On that, I was learning the vocals… I learned ’em before the tour in case something did happen to Joey with COVID, blah blah blah,” Bello added. “So we’ve been getting ready to go. But, unfortunately, Charlie, Joey and myself all had it at the same time, so I couldn’t even get up there and sing. We were gonna try it; we were gonna go for it. Scott [Ian, guitar] was gonna do some stuff; I was gonna sing some songs. It didn’t work out. But I’m kind of glad Joey was better right away.”

Even though these health concerns were quickly remedied and the band luckily only had to cancel two shows of the twenty-four performances, the members of Anthrax have had many instances or close encounters with precursive health issues that make the band more susceptible to abrupt cancellations or the need to have understudies on hand in case of any sudden emergency. According to Blabbermouth, “Last December, Bello said that he was taking extra precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic because he is suffering from “an immune disease” which makes it easier for him to “get sicker faster.” This past summer as well, former Anthrax guitarist Paul Crook joined the rest of the members on the band’s aforementioned tour in case anyone got sick and could no longer perform, a phenomenon which Crook believes is “going to become commonplace” as “a lot of tours/shows are getting canceled due to the obvious” Covid-19. 

Despite this, Anthrax and Black Label Society will return to the road for a new 24-date tour in early 2023, with both bands playing headline acts Exodus will be accompanying the two bands as a special guest during the tour’s month-long run starting from the January 17 performance at the  Revolution Concert House in Boise, Idaho until the final wrapping of the tour in Oakland, California at the Fox Theatre on  February 18.

Check out this article for more information, including tour dates and venue announcements, about Anthrax, Black Label Society and Exodus’ 2023 tour run.

In other news, former Anthrax member Dan Lilker has confirmed that he wrote seventy-five percent of the band’s Fistful of Metal album, an album to which the band owes most of its success.

Photo Credit: Boston Schulz