Pantera and Anthrax at Louisville Gardens

By Laura Spalding

A loud roar of metal heated this town up on a cold January 15 when Pantera and Anthrax took over Louisville Gardens - and took over they did! The crowd on the floor pretty much turned it into one huge mosh pit. If you were there, then you know that the urge to step into the pit was a strong one.

Skid Row opened. No, that's not a mis-print. The band is now called Sebastian Bach's Skid Row, since the only original members are singer Bach and drummer Rob Affuso. The other members of the band were not identified but quite noticeable with their glitter & glam outfits.

Skid Row covered the original band's songs such as "Youth Gone Wild" and "Monkey Business" with Bach's vocals in fairly good form, but the band seemed to lag in musicianship. Maybe the need to be memorable was behind the glittery outfits, because the show itself just wasn't cutting it. The original Skid Row was pretty big during the late 80's and early 90's and not a half bad band. Sebastian Bach should try reuniting with his former band mates.

Anthrax was up next. Although not touring in support of a new album, they got a great crowd response. Opening with the appropriate "Caught in a Mosh," Anthrax got the crowd warmed up and sweating for Pantera with tunes from their various albums, including "Indians" (going way back), "Only," and "Room for one More" fromSound of White Noise and "Fueled" from their most recent release,Stomp 442. A surprising high light of the set was when Pantera front man Phil Anselmo joined Anthrax for a metal classic "Dethrone Emperor" by Celtic Frost.

After Anthrax had worn the crowd out with their opening set, Pantera hit the stage and that massive mosh pit really let loose. The band is touring in support ofOfficial Live: Pantera-101 Proof. Pantera has reached a point in their musical career where they only release an album every couple of years or so, but they have tons of material to choose from, and you know every show they play is gonna be a good one.

The band performed the best of their many mosh-worthy songs, including "I'm Broken," "F!!king Hostile," and "Cowboys from Hell." A number of expected songs were not heard, but I guess that comes from having a lot of material to choose from.

This was and is one of the best metal shows that Louisville will see this year. Pantera and Anthrax both know how to please a metal crowd - leave 'em sweaty, bruised and happy - and begging for more!!