John Bush Is ‘More Open’ to Revisiting Anthrax Material on Tour Than Ever
John Bush has been content playing with Armored Saint, his primary band before joining Anthrax and the one he's maintained focus on following his split with the East Coast thrash legends. The singer recorded four albums with Anthrax and one compilation of pre-Bush Anthrax material, but this era has largely gone underappreciated as he notes while stating "the timing seems like it's right" to revisit this material on a special tour.
As a guest on the Mars Attacks podcast, Bush was asked if he'd consider going out on the road, performing material from his time spent in Anthrax either with a new lineup or some of his old bandmates. He expressed that he no longer has the desire to embark on lengthy treks, but stated, "If [the tour offers] come up and it's the right scenario, then I will embrace it. I think it could be time to do that. I don't know what yet, but I'm open to it, because the timing seems like it's right. Next year is 25 years since Sound Of White Noise came out, so I guess you can connect some kind of an anniversary to it."
Noting his age (he'll be 54 in August), Bush called the material "demanding," despite feeling "great vocally" and "great physically" in his current condition. Reiterating that everything must line up properly and that revisiting the material in a few years at 60 years old doesn't seem favorable, the singer hit on the live performance aspect, adding, "And it would probably just be me. Not me acoustically going out there and [playing those songs by myself]," essentially ruling out performing with current Anthrax members.
Going on to mention, "I don't wanna do anything to stick a spoke in the wheel" of Anthrax's current success, Bush continued, "But if something comes up and it could be cool, I'm open to it. I'm more open to that probably than I ever was because of just the realities of life and what's happening. But it has to be right, it has to feel right, it has to be something that… I'm certainly not going out there to do it 'cause it's a cash cow or anything like that. The primary reason should be the most important reason that I do anything, and that is still for fun, quite frankly. So that should be the goal."
Wrapping up his thoughts on this idea, Bush is also looking at how financially feasible a tour like this would be. "And if [the tour] happens and if everything else kind of aligns, which [means that] you can do it and you can not lose money and you can make a little money and it feels like the right combination of musicians and there's a story, then I think that it will happen."
Bush first left Anthrax in 2005 as the band welcomed Joey Belldonna back into the group. He rejoined once more between 2009 and 2010 while the band was in a state of turmoil looking to lock down a lead singer. Anthrax had alternated between Bush, Belladonna and, infamously, Dan Nelson before Belladonna signed on for the long haul. Since his last recording with Anthrax, Bush has cut two albums with Armored Saint, La Raza (2010) and Win Hands Down (2015).
Anthrax Albums Ranked
You Think You Know Anthrax?