Lilker is stepping in for Frank Bello while he takes some personal time off
Last month, Anthrax announced that, due to personal reasons, bassist Frank Bello will not be able to accompany the band on its upcoming South American tour. Filling in on those dates, as well as two U.S. festival shows in May, would be founding Anthrax member and original bassist Dan Lilker, marking his first appearances with the band in 40 years. Lilker, who co-wrote and played on the band’s debut album, Fistful of Metal, was also a member of Stormtroopers of Death with Charlie Benante and Scott Ian.
Over the weekend, Anthrax headlined MXMF the Metal Fest in Ciudad De México, Mexico. It marked Lilker’s first appearance with the band in four decades. The band ripped through a 12-song set that included hits like “Caught in a Mosh,” “Madhouse,” “I Am the Law,” “Indians,” and more. They pulled out two Lilker-era tracks from their debut album, Fistful of Metal: “Metal Thrashing Mad” and “Deathrider, which hadn’t been played since 2014. Check out fan-filmed footage of “Got the Time” below.
“I’m really looking forward to jamming with Anthrax again,” Lilker stated last month. “When we parted ways back in 1984, they told me to stick around because they might need me in 40 years.”
Anthrax added, “We’re all very excited about with playing with Danny again, and we really appreciate his filling in for Frank. It’s been way too long since we played South America, so you don’t want to miss these shows, they’re going to be insane.”
Frank Bello released his own statement, saying, “Hey Everybody, I wanted to let all my friends know that I’m sorry that I won’t be coming to play the upcoming Anthrax dates in Mexico, South America, or the couple of U.S. festival dates in May. Everything’s okay, but for personal reasons, I won’t be able to make those shows. I want to thank my friend Danny Lilker for stepping in for me – he’s gonna rock it! Enjoy the shows , I’m sure they will be great , and I’ll look forward to seeing you all soon!”
Lilker has not been idle over the past four decades, having played in a wide variety of bands. He was the bassist for the thrash metal mainstays Nuclear Assault and the grindcore band Brutal Truth. He also plays bass for Exit-13, Malformed Earthborn, The Ravenous, Overlord Exterminator, Venomous Concept, and more.
In addition to MXMF The Metal Fest in Mexico, Anthrax are slated to appear at Summer Breeze Open Air in Brazil, as well as the Danny Wimmer Presents-powered Welcome to Rockville and Sonic Temple in the United States. It looks like Bello will be back in the fold for the band’s performance at Aftershock in California in October.
Anthrax – 2024 Tour Dates
April 13 – MXMF The Metal Fest – Ciudad De México, Mexico
April 15 – Cancha Diamante – San Salvador, El Salvador
April 17 – Pepper’ – San Jose, Costa Rica
April 19 – The Metal Fest – Quito, Ecuador
April 21 – The Metal Fest – Santiago, Chile
April 23 – Sala de Museo – Montevideo, Uruguay
April 25 – El Teatro Flores – Buenos Aires, Argentina
April 28 – Summer Breeze Open Air – São Paulo, Brazil
May 9 – Welcome to Rockville – Daytona Beach, FL
May 17 – Sonic Temple Festival – Columbus, OH