In a brand new interview with Canada’s The Metal Voice, former ANTHRAX and current ARMORED SAINT frontman John Bush was asked whether he is still open to the idea of embarking on a special tour during which he would perform material from his time as the singer of ANTHRAX. He responded (see video below): “The first time I talked to my booking agent about it was probably several years ago now. We talked about it, and I think he sniffed around for some feelers to see what people would think. And I don’t think we got the response that we really wanted to. It wasn’t like we were looking for millions of dollars or anything, but we wanted to make it worthwhile to do it, and do the proper shows. It’s not like something I wanna go out and do six months of touring with. It’d be fun to do some sporadic shows. I’d have to put a band together to do it. I’m probably a little lazy about that, quite honestly. But that’s what would be involved in doing it. And I don’t think we were pleased enough with the response that we tried to push it ahead and make it happen.”
Bush went on to say that he was “caught by surprise” by ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian‘s recent comment that was not opposed to taking part in a special concert featuring most of the singers that have fronted the band over the course of its nearly four-decade existence. “I was, like, ‘Wow. Okay.’ And I thought that’s a great idea. That would be really cool,” Bush said. “I think that would be an amazing thing for the fanbase. But what I keep saying is that Joey Belladonna is the singer of ANTHRAX, and Joey should be the singer of ANTHRAX, as far as I’m concerned. And if this happens, it needs to have his approval, really, quite honestly. Because I wouldn’t want him to feel like, ‘Well, this is not my idea, and I don’t wanna do this,’ because he is the singer who’d be sharing the stage [with the rest of us], quite honestly. So I think it would be something that Joey would have to give endorsement to, for that to happen, if that’s an idea. And again, I think it would be a fun thing to do a couple of handful of shows, sporadic stuff.”
Back in 2018, Bush said he wanted former ANTHRAX guitarist Paul Crook on to be involved in a hypothetical tour during which he would perform material from his time as the singer of ANTHRAX. “Paul actually recorded on ‘Stomp [442]’ [1995], and he also recorded on ‘Volume 8 [The Threat Is Real]’, and he co-produced ‘Volume 8’, actually, ’cause he engineered it,” he told Hablas ROCKas at the time. “And I love Paul — I’ve always been a really big fan of his as a human being. He’s an incredible player and I know he has a connection to it — a personal connection. So I like the idea of doing it with Paul. And we’ve had some discussions [about it].”
ANTHRAX has had a number of vocalists — including Bush, Belladonna, Neil Turbin and Dan Nelson — over the last 39 years, with Ian and drummer Charlie Benante remaining the sole bandmembers who have appeared on every one of the group’s studio albums.
Turbin sang on ANTHRAX‘s debut LP, 1984’s “Fistful Of Metal”, before getting booted and being replaced by Belladonna. Belladonna performed on four ANTHRAX albums, including the fan favorite “Among The Living” (1987) before he himself was fired over creative and stylistic differences. Bush fronted ANTHRAX between 1992 and 2005 but was sidelined when the band reunited with Belladonna for a 20th-anniversary tour. When that collapsed, and relationships disintegrated with next frontman Nelson, Bush returned for a time before Belladonna took the job back in 2010.
