Charlie Benante Hears ‘So Much S—’ About Anthrax’s Set List

Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante is tired of hearing “so much s—” about the band’s set list choices.

With eleven studio albums under their belt – and another, Cursum Perficio, arriving in September – Anthrax has no shortage of metal material to fill up their concerts. Still, the band’s song choices have become a divisive topic among fans.

During a recent appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, Benante detailed how difficult it can be to keep all of Anthrax’s followers happy.

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“People give us s— all the time about, oh, they play the same set list,” the drummer lamented. “But a lot of times we ask the fans what they want to hear, and it’s the same songs. And it’s like, you guys give us so much s— about it, but on this next run that we’re going to do, we’re not going to play any of the older songs. We’re just going to play the new songs, and then you’re going to bitch about that.”

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While Benante conceded that hardcore fans get excited when a rarity pops up in concert, such surprises rarely resonate with the majority of their crowds. “It goes right over their heads,” he remarked.

Benante also admitted that the type of show can make a big difference in Anthrax’s set list.

“In a festival setting, you have to hit hard because you don’t want to lose thousands of people,” he explained. “So you have to play the songs that are most familiar with them. When it comes to a headline show, that’s when we can take some time to experiment and we’re going to throw this one in. Trust me, man, there’s some songs on (1990 album) Persistence of Time that we would love to throw in. There’s some songs on (2011’s) Worship Music that we would love to throw in. But when we do it, it just goes over your heads and only a handful of people who are the ones going online talking about it appreciate it.”

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Benante went on to note that Anthrax listens to their fans and always strives for the most enjoyable shows possible – even if they don’t play that deep cut you requested.

“We hear you,” the drummer declared. “Of course, we hear what you’re saying. We will (play rarities). But sometimes it doesn’t react as big as you think it would.”