Aug 2

Aug 2 Show Review: Anthrax & Black Label Society Celebrate 40 Years of Heavy Metal in Sacramento

Anthrax
Black Label Society
w/ Hatebreed
Heart Health Park
Sacramento, CA
July 30th, 2022

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

Every summer, thousands of people flock to the California State Fair, held at the Cal Expo in Sacramento, CA, where they’re treated to the best fried food money can buy, carnival rides, some form of musical entertainment, and usually a fireworks display. If you look up in the sky, you can see a monorail-like tram that carts families around the track all throughout the day and night, showing people a birds-eye view of the Cal Expo grounds and its neighboring venues: Raging Waters and the adjacent soccer stadium Heart Health Park. On Saturday July 30th, state fair attendees all noticed something different as the monorail turned a corner into the massive soccer field: there was a congregation of hundreds of heavy metal fans, gathered in the hot and muggy weather, watching Anthrax, Black Label Society, and Hatebreedtake the stage for an energy-filled, heavy-hitting metal show. While the tour was a co-headliner, the main event of the evening was Anthrax, who are currently celebrating their 40th anniversary as a band. The five-piece band are one of the purveyors of thrash metal, a member of the “Big Four” thrash metal acts (which includes Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth).

With the sun beating down on everyone, Hatebreed took the stage for a brutal and powerfully fun set that kicked off the festivities. I’ve tried to see Hatebreed in concert for nearly a decade, and every time I tried, something would come up or I would end up missing their set. This time around, I showed up early and made sure I was there to see the madness. They are one of metalcore’s finest exports: no frills, no elaborate production, just power-packed metal riffs and vocals delivered with authority and conviction.

Looking back, I realized that I have now seen Black Label Society once a year, every year since 2020, and they keep getting better with every show. The photographers were given a rare opportunity to shoot the entire set (standard rule of thumb for shows is first three songs), so I tried to capture all of the elements that make a Black Label Society show so special. The unique guitar designs that are changed throughout each song, the energy that leader Zakk Wylde brings to the band, the tribute to late Vinne Paul and Dimebag Darrell that takes place during the piano-driven ballad “In This River”, the dueling guitar solo that occurs between Wylde and guitarist Dario Lorina: all of these elements are just part of a Black Label Society show’s genetic makeup. Pair each of those pieces of the puzzle with immaculate musicianship and you’ve got one of rock’s best acts. Wylde and co. are a joy to watch.

Much like the aforementioned Black Label, Anthrax are a band that have only gotten better as time has gone on. They never phone it in, and their performance here in Sacramento was certainly no exception. When you open your set with three of your biggest songs (“Among The Living”, “Caught In A Mosh”, and “Madhouse”) you mean business. Madness ensued. I saw a man crowdsurf over the barricade in a wheelchair (twice) during Anthrax’s set. Despite playing just twelve songs, Anthrax brought the show to a perfect conclusion, spiraling through hit after hit like “I Am The Law”, “Keep It In The Family”, and even a portion of their iconic track “Bring The Noise”, which found the band collaborating with Public Enemy. The final notes rang throughout the stadium as Anthrax concluded with an Among The Living track, “Indians”.

The structure of this show was set up in such a way that the concert was walled off separately from the fair. I thought this was an apt setup; after all, metal has always been in its own world. I wonder if any of the families traveling in that overhead monorail were intrigued by what they saw, if it gave them pause and made them want to pick up a record or check out a show. If not, that’s fine too; bands like these will always carry the heavy metal torch, burning it bright no matter where they may be.

Anthrax Set List
Among The Living
Caught In A Mosh
Madhouse
Metal Thrashing Mad
The Devil You Know
Keep It In The Family
Antisocial (Trust cover)
I Am The Law
In The End
Only
Bring The Noise (Public Enemy cover)
Indians

Black Label Society Set List
Funeral Bell
Destroy & Conquer
Overlord
Heart of Darkness
A Love Unreal
You Made Me Want To Live
In This River
Trampled Down Below
Set You Free
Fire It Up
Suicide Messiah
Stillborn