John Bush, best known as the frontman for veteran rock band Armored Saint, also spent time fronting thrash metal masters Anthrax from 1992 to 2005. He made four albums with the band during that time. When Bush left Anthrax, and Joey Belladonna rejoined, the Bush-era music has never really been played again, which is unfortunate, as the songs are heavy, catchy, and well worth continuing to be played and heard.
Bush was often asked about performing solo shows that focused on these Anthrax songs, and after many years of fans requesting it, it finally happened in 2025. Saturday night’s show, in front of a capacity crowd in West Hollywood, was simply incredible and highlighted why John Bush is so beloved by many around the world.
Bush announced three special shows earlier this year, playing songs from his era in Anthrax, taking place in Hollywood, New York, and St. Charles, IL. The first occurred at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go on Saturday night, December 13, to a sold-out crowd.
The night gave the fans a double dose of John Bush as his other band, Category 7, opened the show, and then Bush returned with his Category 7 bandmates backing him to play Anthrax songs from Sound Of White Noise, Stomp 442, Volume 8: The Threat Is Real, and We’ve Come For You All. The Whisky had fans packed in like sardines, and the anticipation was high to hear these songs, some of which had not been played in over 20 years.
Category 7 is somewhat of a supergroup with Bush on vocals, Phil Demmel (former Machine Head/Vio-lence and Kerry King band) and Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob and Sonic Stomp) on guitars, Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall, former Overkill) on drums, and Jack Gibson (Exodus) on bass. The band released a self-titled album in 2024 and has only played a handful of live shows, so this night was super special. Making it even more special was that Bush’s bandmate, Joey Vera from Armored Saint, was playing bass, as Jack Gibson had a scheduling conflict.
The band hit the stage and blasted through what seemed like the entire album in the 60 minutes they played. From the moment Bush hit his first vocals, he owned the room at the Whisky for the rest of the night with his soaring delivery. Witnessing these high-caliber musicians in a small venue (with a 500-capacity) was mind-blowing, as they delivered an arena-sized performance within the small confines of the Whisky.
In addition to Bush’s powerful vocals, the guitar work of Demmel and Orlando is remarkable, and the interaction between the two was pure magic, often coming together and trading solos. Bittner and Vera are also masters of their respective instruments, and the fun these guys had together on stage made the show that much better. Bush left the stage before the last song, an 8-minute instrumental titled “Etter Stormen,” which allowed the band to truly shine, providing an epic ending to a truly memorable performance.
The Whisky a Go Go is sacred ground for rock and metal history, and another chapter in the iconic venue’s history was about to take place, as after a 15-minute break, the same musicians took the stage and blew everyone’s mind with 75 minutes of John Bush-era Anthrax. The set kicked off with the stomping “Potters Field” from Sound of White Noise, and it was instantly apparent how uniquely amazing this night was going to be. Bush sounded as alive and ferocious as he did years ago on the recordings, hitting all the highs and lows and everything in between. And the band, you couldn’t have picked anyone better to play this material aside from the members of Anthrax themselves.
“Random Acts of Senseless Violence” and “Refused to be Denied” followed, and you instantly felt as if you were in a time capsule; these songs are pure adrenaline, and it was spectacular to hear them live again. In between songs, Bush would give some commentary on his time in Anthrax, and he dedicated “Hy Pro Glo” to his wife for all her love and support over the years.
In addition to some of the songs you would expect to hear, some deep cuts like “Cadillac Rock Box” and “Black Dahlia” were played. While no circle pit erupted, the fans were singing and headbanging in unison the entire night. Bush slowed down the tempo and brought out the keyboard player from another one of his side projects for the song “Black Lodge.” Then, things picked up again with “King Size” from Stomp 442.
While the entire set was a banger, the two-song encore was the highlight of the show, as “What Doesn’t Die” from We’ve Come for You All is a heavy, thrashing stomper and fan favorite. The night ended with the John Bush era of Anthrax’s biggest hit, “Only.” Those in attendance just witnessed history, the first of three John Bush Anthrax shows, and who knows if Bush will ever do this again.
This show was a reminder that John Bush is without a doubt one of Metal’s finest frontmen and that these Anthrax songs remain as relevant today as they were when first released. The world needs an Anthrax tour with both John Bush and Joey Belladonna, each singing their respective era’s music; both are killer vocalists, and each era’s songs are important to the history of Anthrax and thrash metal.
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