ANTHRAX played their September 29 show at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, with RAVEN and former FEAR FACTORY drummer Mike Heller behind the kit. Longtime drummer Charlie Benante couldn't make the gig, and no reason has been given. ANTHRAX are currently the opening act on the IRON MAIDEN and MEGADETH bill.
Heller, who lives in San Antonio, got the call at 2 p.m. from MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren, with stage time set for 6:30 p.m. By his own account, he didn't know a single ANTHRAX song on the drums. He charted two on the spot, fought through traffic to the stadium, then spent less than an hour with the band while they walked him through how the live arrangements differ from the records.
"Then went on stage in front of 56,000 people or whatever, and did my best... Holy crap! How the HELL did I get here?!" he wrote afterwards. He thanked the band and crew, as well as Verbeuren and Chris Jericho for vouching for him, and added that next time he hopes to get more than a few hours' notice.
Benante has missed ANTHRAX dates before, first because of carpal tunnel problems, for which he has since had surgery, and more recently because of his touring commitments with the reformed PANTERA.
The band are on the road behind Cursum Perficio, their twelfth studio album and first in a decade, released on September 18 via Megaforce in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast in Europe.