JOHN BUSH says SCOTT IAN offered himself as third guitarist for upcoming ANTHRAX-era solo shows
22-09-2025
In a new interview with Eonmusic‘s Eamon O’Neill, legendary vocalist John Bush spoke about his recent announcement that he will embark on a special run of live performances showcasing the music he helped create during his decade-long tenure singing with ANTHRAX. This December, Bush will perform songs spanning all four albums he recorded with the band: “Sound Of White Noise”, “Stomp 442”, “Volume 8: The Threat Is Real” and “We’ve Come For You All”. Joining Bush on stage will be his CATEGORY 7 bandmates Phil Demmel (guitar), Mike Orlando (guitar) and Jason Bittner (drums), along with his longtime ARMORED SAINT partner and best friend Joey Vera on bass (CATEGORY 7 bassist Jack Gibson has a schedule conflict and is unable to make the gigs).
Asked if an interview with Eonmusic in 2017 really galvanized things with regard to how these shows came about, John said: “Well, you could be a contributing force, for sure. I’ve been talking about it and wanting to do this for a long time. It was just a matter of finding the right time to do it. I love those tunes, I want to play these songs live. I’ve been practicing them, and they sound pretty awesome.”
On the possibility of other ANTHRAX bandmembers getting up with him, he said: “My opinion is with those guys, it’s their music. It’s their songs; they wrote them. They can do whatever they want. If they want to come out for a song, great. If they don’t want to come out for any, great. You know, it doesn’t matter. If they want to play ten songs, great. The door is open, and they could do whatever they want in conjunction with it, or nothing. As we get closer to the shows, we’ll see where people are at with scheduling.”
When O’Neill asked if ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian gave his blessing, given that John and Scott had recently played together at Scott‘s wife’s birthday celebration, John said: “Scott asked about being the third guitar player on one of the shows. He had said, ‘Would you like a third guitar player?’, and I was cracking up, but I don’t know how completely sincere he was about it. I think it was, but he has a conflict with the date in Los Angeles, and that’s where Scott lives. He has a wedding in New York, so I was saying, ‘Well, maybe New York?”, but I don’t know if he’s going to be there that long, so who knows?”
Finally, John summed up the vibe for the shows: “I do want it to feel celebratory. I have a few other people in line to come up maybe and do some songs. I just want it to feel kind of like a party, almost, a celebration of those songs and those records. It’s not a competition with ANTHRAX. I want it to just feel like a fun event to be at.”
After years of anticipation, legendary vocalist John Bush is proud to announce a special run of live performances showcasing the music he helped create during his decade-long tenure singing with ANTHRAX. This December, Bush will perform songs spanning all four albums he recorded with the band: “Sound Of White Noise”, “Stomp 442”, “Volume 8: The Threat Is Real” and “We’ve Come For You All”.
Joining Bush on stage will be his CATEGORY 7 bandmates Phil Demmel (guitar), Mike Orlando (guitar) and Jason Bittner (drums), along with his longtime ARMORED SAINT partner and best friend Joey Vera on bass (CATEGORY 7 bassist Jack Gibson has a schedule conflict and is unable to make the gigs).
Bush comments: “I’ve talked about doing this for a long time — and now, I’m finally doing it. Fans constantly tell me how much those records meant to them, and how they miss hearing those songs live. It’s very humbling. The wait is over.”
On the lineup, Bush adds: “These guys are incredible, badass musicians, and it hit me — why look anywhere else? They’re already right here. It was a total no-brainer.”
CATEGORY 7 will also open each night with their own blistering set before returning as his backing band for the ANTHRAX material.
The setlist will include not only the well-known anthems, but also some deeper cuts that haven’t been performed live in years.
John Bush performing songs from his era of ANTHRAX:
Dec. 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Whisky A-Go-Go
Dec. 18 – St. Charles, IL @ Arcada Theatre
Dec. 20 – New York, NY @ Racket
This limited run marks a rare chance for fans to experience a vital era of heavy metal history — live, loud, and in your face. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 1 at 10 a.m. local time.
ARMORED SAINT has previously released a rendition of “One Chain (Don’t Make No Prison)” earlier this year. The classic track was originally written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and was first released by PEOPLE in 1970. Additional covers include THE FOUR TOPS (1974), SANTANA (1978) and THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (1989).
Watch “One Chain (Don’t Make No Prison)” below.
Comments ARMORED SAINT vocalist John Bush: “Bassist Joey Vera came up with the idea of doing the song. We’ve always been huge fans of old-school soul and R&B music, so it was a no-brainer. It’s got a great groove, perfect for our rhythm section, and Jeff‘s (Duncan) and Phil‘s (Sandoval) guitars are screaming. Plus, the cool lyrics make it ideal for the SAINT style. Levi Stubbs (THE FOUR TOPS) was such a rad singer; I just tried to do him justice. I think this would make him a metal fan.”
ARMORED SAINT was inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame last July at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. The event was hosted by 95.5 KLOS DJ Marci Wiser, and featured performances by WEAPONS OF ANEW, Sergio Michel and DECONSTRUCT, surprise guest appearances and an all-star jam.
Ten months ago, ARMORED SAINT‘s long-awaited documentary, Armored Saint: Band Of Brothers”, had its world premiere in the band’s hometown at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood, California.
Armored Saint: Band Of Brothers” celebrates the 40-year career of ARMORED SAINT and the 50-year friendship the bandmembers have shared from school in El Sereno, a Los Angeles suburb.
Many friends of the band have given interviews, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich from METALLICA tell tales of their early days touring, Scott Ian of ANTHRAX talks about seeing ARMORED SAINT in 1985, QUEENSRŸCHE members Eddie Jackson and Todd La Torre talk about the shared history. Key music industry figures and producers, A&R men, roadies, record label executives and family share thoughts and stories about the band’s 40-year history.
ARMORED SAINT‘s eighth full-length album, “Punching The Sky”, came out in October 2020 via Metal Blade Records.
ARMORED SAINT released the “Symbol Of Salvation Live” CD/DVD in 2021 via Metal Blade Records. The release came in celebration of the seminal album’s 30th anniversary. “Symbol Of Salvation Live” was a combination live album and video of the band playing the album in its entirety at New York City’s famed Gramercy Theatre during its 2018 tour.
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