Curiously, the new album plays only a minor role in tonight's proceedings. Anthrax are also celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of Among the Living, and the classic 1987 record receives the full-album treatment. As problems go, this is a pleasant one to have. Any setlist built around songs such as "Caught in a Mosh," "Indians," "I Am the Law" and the title track is difficult to argue with.
Of course, Anthrax fans are nothing if not opinionated. One could reasonably wish for more material from Spreading the Disease, lament the relative neglect of State of Euphoria or point out that the John Bush era appears to have been quietly retired from the live repertoire despite gems such as "Only" remaining among the strongest songs the band has ever recorded. But that is the nature of a catalogue spanning more than three decades. Every fan carries a different ideal setlist in their head.
What mattered most was the atmosphere. For ninety minutes, the venue became a portal back to the mid-eighties, when denim jackets, high-top sneakers and breakneck riffs ruled the underground. Anthrax have always possessed a slightly different personality from many of their Thrash contemporaries. Even at their darkest and most aggressive, there is an irrepressible sense of fun in their music, and that spirit animated the entire evening. The audience responded accordingly, turning the room into a sea of flying hair, raised fists and shouted choruses.
Nostalgia alone cannot sustain a concert. Fortunately, the songs remain every bit as effective as they were thirty years earlier. By the time the lights came up, everyone had spent an hour and a half revisiting a younger version of themselves. Perhaps a little younger, a little thinner and a little less bald. Definitely a whole lot deafer.
