The long-awaited celebration of John Bush‘s tenure with Anthrax officially began this weekend. On Saturday, December 13, the legendary vocalist took over the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, delivering a career-spanning set dedicated entirely to the four albums he recorded with the thrash icons between 1992 and 2005.
The show marked the first of three scheduled concerts designed to showcase material from Sound Of White Noise, Stomp 442, Volume 8: The Threat Is Real, and We’ve Come For You All. While Bush has performed select tracks like “Only” sporadically over the years, this performance represented a deep dive into a catalog that has largely gone untouched live for two decades.
Bush was backed by a powerhouse band comprised mostly of his Category 7 bandmates: guitarist Phil Demmel, guitarist Mike Orlando, and drummer Jason Bittner. Stepping in on bass was a familiar face—Bush‘s longtime Armored Saint partner and best friend, Joey Vera, who filled in for Category 7 bassist Jack Gibson due to a scheduling conflict. In a testament to their stamina, Category 7 also served as the opening act for the night before returning to the stage as Bush‘s backing group.
The night featured a mix of radio hits and rarities that thrilled the packed house. The setlist was as follows:
- “Potters Field”
- “Random Acts Of Senseless Violence”
- “Refuse To Be Denied”
- “Inside Out”
- “Cadillac Rock Box”
- “Hy Pro Glo”
- “Catharsis”
- “1000 Points Of Hate”
- “Black Dahlia”
- “Black Lodge”
- “King Size”
- “Safe Home”
- “Room For One More”
- “Fueled”
Encore:
- “What Doesn’t Die”
- “Only”
Preparing for these shows was no small feat. In a recent interview with “Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz,” Bush admitted that relearning the material required some serious homework, though he was surprised by how much remained in his subconscious.
“Well, I’ve been singing to the Anthrax songs right now because I’m trying to remember them. Strangely enough, they actually are coming back to me, which is funny ’cause I haven’t sung those songs in years,” Bush said. “Yeah, it’s funny how my memory is still there. I still have a lot of work to do, but, yeah, it’s good… But, yeah, this is a memory challenge, for sure.”
When reflecting on his final release with the band, 2003’s We’ve Come For You All, Bush expressed pride in the work they accomplished during a turbulent time in the music industry.
“I look fondly on all of ’em, really, to be honest. I think all four records are really cool — all a little different from one another,” he noted. “But We’ve Come For You All was pretty solid… We really kind of re-established ourselves on that record, particularly in Europe… Some really powerful anthems, if you will.”
Following this hometown kickoff, Bush will take the celebration to St. Charles, Illinois, and New York City later this month.
