In honor of Anthrax playing the Big 4 at Yankee Stadium, here are a few comments from drummer Charlie Benante (who will wear Don Mattingly’s number onstage) and guitarist Scott Ian about the concert and the Yankees.
Would you have ever guessed a concert like The Big 4 coming together in the late ‘80s?
Charlie Benante: No, I wouldn’t have guessed it. It was mentioned to Scott and I when Metallica had brought us out to Cleveland for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction. After the ceremony we were at a bar and it was me, Scott and Lars — bullshiting about whatever it was we were talking about, and all of a sudden Lars says to us ‘How about doing a Big 4 tour?’ And Scott and I just looked at each other like ‘What?!’ We couldn’t believe he just came out with that. And we were like ‘That would be fucking amazing.’ I think if you go to that bar right now and look at the ceiling you can see where my head hit because I jumped so high. And then a couple months later it actually came to fruition. We thought that this could be really magical. And it really is.
It’s got to be one of the biggest things in metal history.
Benante: If not the biggest things in metal history. I mean, what other metal bands have played Yankee Stadium?
Scott Ian: Yeah, if I could only play Big 4 shows for the rest of my life, I would have no problem with that. It’s pretty much the best scenario ever. We’re playing shows with all our friends with three bands we all love and get along with. It’s a blast for everybody involved. And then on top of that add in the extra 40 – 50 thousand people that Metallica brings to the party — who probably have heard of Anthrax. Maybe they own a record, maybe they don’t, but they certainly heard of us. And now we get to do our thing in front of that whole crowd. And our thing has always been that we don’t see any reason why anyone who buys a Metallica record wouldn’t be into being an Anthrax fan. It obviously makes sense. Metallica have given us this unbelievable opportunity to basically tap into their audience — which is the biggest metal audience on the planet. It’s just a win-win across the board. It’s amazing.
Benante: The effect of these big things brings more people out because it becomes an event. People who would not necessarily come to a normal show, will come out for this because it is, like I said, an event. I mean, you have people flying in from all over the world for something like this. Because they want to be a part of it. Who knows if they will ever get to be a part of this again. Especially in the world we live in now, if it happens and you get a chance to go, get there.
The Yankee Stadium date is special. However, as a Yankees fan myself, I am kind of disappointed in the new Yankee stadium. Wouldn’t it be cool if you were playing in the old ballpark?
Ian: The new stadium is more like the old stadium before it was renovated in ’76. I had been to games at the stadium before they had renovated it. To me, the renovated stadium always felt weird. I love the new stadium. Grant it, everything is ten times more expensive but that’s just the nature of the beast. It has nothing to do with the actual building. I think it’s an amazing place for a ballgame. I think, aesthetically, it blows away the stadium that had been there since ’76. So I’m totally in love with it.
You don’t miss that hallowed ground feeling?
Ian: What does that mean? That and no pitching doesn’t get you a World Series ring. And that’s the story of the New York Yankees from now until forever, probably. It’s like, who cares? I don’t care. The hallowed ground, it doesn’t mean anything to me. What means anything to me is what they are doing right now.
Benante: Something to take into consideration: one of my nephews is probably one of the biggest Yankee fans on the face of the earth. And back in June, the Yankees played the Cubs. So he flew out to Chicago, we went to the games and when we got to the seats, he looked at me like ‘What is with these seats?’ And he was like ‘Where’s the screen. The big screen?’ And I’m like “No, this is an original ballpark. You have a guy out there changing the numbers.’ To me, that’s baseball. When you walk out of that tunnel and see it. You remember this when you were younger watching games. These are things that stay with you. Of course, kids nowadays are used to the high-end stadiums with the gourmet food and the this or that. And to me that’s not baseball. That’s just corporate crap. At the end of the day, it’s all about going to the game with your kids or your family or whoever you want to go with, and enjoying it. I love that old school feel. And a lot of things in the music have changed drastically that I miss. I miss the days when I could go to Tower Records and spend an hour or two walking around the store. And you can’t do that anymore. These are things that may be little but they mean a lot.
Were there favorite moments in the old stadium?
Benante: There were many moments. Watching Graig Nettles play third base. He was the greatest. That era of sports, that was it.
Scott, you were at the World Series game when Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in 1977. That must be an amazing memory.
Ian: Yeah, I actually dug my ticket stubs out of a photo album the other day and I posted them on my blog.
Where were you sitting for that?
Ian: We were about thirty rows back off of third base.
Yankees 2011. What do you think: A.J. Burnett or Phil Hughes to the pen?
Ian: Fire both of them. It’s insane to me. I’ll get going on a rant here. They are paying a fucking hack like Burnett. …what, like 80 million dollars? Cashman makes a lot of good moves, obviously, but sometimes it’s like ‘C’mon, just because a guy can throw a ball doesn’t mean he’s a pitcher.’ CC (Sabathia) is the automatic win and then they have to balance that with Burnett, who’s the automatic loss.
And you don’t know how much (Bartolo) Colon or (Freddy) Garcia have left.
Ian: Nothing. None of these guys … they’re not worth anything. I said it since the beginning of this year: The Yankees have one pitcher. That’s it. You’re not gonna win it all with one pitcher. It’s not gonna happen. CC’s not gonna win 40 games.
And if you get into a World Series with the Phillies …
Ian: Oh they’re done. They’re done. The fact that they’re not 10 games up in first place at this point is insane — with what they have on that team. And it just shows you that the oldest cliché in the book… pitching, pitching, pitching. That’s it. With their payroll, they should never lose a game. And it just shows you, money doesn’t always buy you a Word Series ring.
In the end, playing Yankee Stadium — the new stadium — it’s got to be real special. I’m sure you are going to look out there and say ‘Wow.’
Ian: It’s kind of hard to even put into context. It’s really incredible. The idea that I’m gonna go do my thing, what I do with my band, in the same place where so many of my heroes had done their thing … It’s hard for me to understand that we are even getting to do this.
Interview by Pat Prince
Go to www.facebook.com/TheBig4 before and after the concert to talk about it.
