Anthrax's Scott Ian to Skip Touring Due to Birth of First Child


Scott Ian, Anthrax's rhythm and lead guitar player, just announced he's not going to be touring with the band he formed 30 years ago due to the upcoming birth of his first child.

He said, “This decision to miss these shows was a deeply personal one. I
co-founded this band July 18, 1981, and for almost 30 years, I have
been there for everything we've ever done. . . . Becoming a father is the biggest, best thing that's
ever happened to me, and it made the decision relatively easy. My
priority is with my wife and the birth of our first child.”

His wife, singer Pearl Aday (Meat Loaf's daughter), is expecting to give birth on July 9.

Ian will still be playing at Big 4 in Indio and the following show in Manila, Philippines, but beginning in May, he will sit out the rest of the tour, including the big Sonisphere shows in Europe. Andreas Kisser from Sepultura will replace Ian on the remaining dates of the tour. Read his whole statement after the jump.
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Hello, my friends, how are you all? I hope you're all kicking ass.

I know there's been a lot of rhetoric out there regarding upcoming Anthrax shows, Big 4 and otherwise.

I've been debating on whether or not to make a public statement about
this, as it really pertains to my personal life, and I generally like to
keep that personal. Because this is affecting my band life, I feel like
you, my friends, deserve to hear from me personally.

I will be playing the Big 4 show April 23 in Indio, as well as the
shows in Manila, Bangkok and Japan that will follow the Indio show.

I won't be playing the shows scheduled from July 2 to 16 in Europe and
the U.K. My wife, Pearl, and I are expecting our first child, and she is
due the day of the Big 4 Sonisphere show in France.

This decision to miss these shows was a deeply personal one. I
co-founded this band July 18, 1981, and for almost 30 years, I have
been there for everything we've ever done. I have never been faced with
anything that would make me even question being there for anything
Anthrax-related. Becoming a father is the biggest, best thing that's
ever happened to me, and it made the decision relatively easy. My
priority is with my wife and the birth of our first child.

As soon as I was faced with this decision, I knew, as Freddie Mercury so eloquently said, “The show must go on.”

I started thinking about guitar players I knew, guys who I am a fan
of, guys I respect, guys who headbang like Angus was watching
them, guys whom I listen to and who I thought had the spirit to enable
the show to go on.

This wasn't a hard decision at all. I asked the rest of the band what they thought, and we were on the same page.

We chose Andreas [Kisser from Sepultura] because we feel he can do
the gig better than anyone. He has the fire, the attitude and the
crushing right hand to do the gig. I've played with Andreas at the
Roadrunner 25th-anniversary show, and I've gotten up and played with
Sepultura, and we are kindred spirits. We both play every show like
we're going to jail the next day, like it's the last show we'll ever
play. He has what it takes, and he has the experience and history to
fucking bring it and make these Anthrax shows something special. I
can't wait to see and hear it for myself!!

This year will bring our 10th Anthrax studio record, featuring the
return of the one and only Joey Belladonna. We're hard at work
finishing it, and I can say that from the tracks I have heard, it is
going to tear your fucking heads off. I'm looking forward to getting
back on the road with the band that is now better than we've ever been
and seeing all your sick faces and banging heads.

Cheers,

Scott

(Scott will play the following dates)
APRIL
23: Empire Polo Club, Indio (Big 4 show)
30: Pulp Summer Slam Festival, Manila, Philippines

MAY
2: AP Parking, Esplanade, Ratchada, Bangkok, Thailand
5: O-East, Tokyo, Japan
6: O-East, Tokyo, Japan
7: Diamond Hall, Nagoya, Japan
9: Big Cat, Osaka, Japan

(Andreas Kisser will play the following dates)
JULY
2: Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Big 4 show)
3: Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden (Big 4 show)
5: Komplex AG, Zurich, Switzerland
6: Fiera Open Air Arena, Milan, Italy (Big 4 show)
8: Sonisphere Festival, Knebworth, U.K.
9: Sonisphere Festival, Amneville, France
11: Garage, Saarbrucken, Germany
12: Vega Musikkenshus, Copenhagen, Denmark
14: Slottsfjell Festival, Tonsberg, Norway
15: Dour Festival, Dour, Belgium
16: Zwarte Cross Festival, Lichtenvoorde, Netherlands

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