In a year-end episode of Drinks With Johnny, Avenged Sevenfold bassist Johnny Christ recently reflected on the band’s year, highlighting their headlining performance at the 40th anniversary of Rock In Rio as the highlight of his career, according to Blabbermouth.

Speaking on the show, he recounted the emotional and professional significance of the moment, marking it as the realization of his childhood dreams.

“We had a hell of a year, man. It was great. We went a lot of places — a couple of new ones that we haven’t been to. Couple of ones that we haven’t been to in a long time. We did that whole European tour, which was a lot of fun. Before that we went back to Jakarta for the first time in — I think that was, like, 12 years, something like that, and sold out the stadium, the soccer stadium that we were in. It was amazing to see how much that fanbase had grown still. I mean, it’s always been one of our strongest fanbases, to be honest, since we’ve been there since — I think our first time was 2007, maybe 2006. And it’s always been one of those places that is kind of surreal for us, where we go in and… We’re pop culture. We’re like A-listers there. It’s different.”

The band’s journey this year included a sold-out stadium show in Jakarta, revisiting a venue they hadn’t played in over a decade. Christ said fans were incredibly receptive in Indonesia. Similarly, their European tour brought reunions with old friends and unforgettable moments for their families.

However, Rock In Rio stood apart. Reflecting on performing for 125,000 fans, Christ described the event as humbling and overwhelming. Watching the recorded performance brought tears as he processed the experience, the support of fans and the absence of their late drummer, Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan. Christ said, “I was very emotional. And it was exactly what I needed at that time. As I said, [I had] tears of joy, just knowing that… finally putting myself into that perspective and thinking about when I was a kid, what I imagined being a musician was going to be like. It’s really what I was trying to do. And that experience and so many others, when I’m being honest, have exceeded those expectations so many times over.”