Two for the Road is a series in which two artists touring together chat about playing shows, life backstage, and more. The latest installment of the series features Black Label Society frontman Zakk Wylde and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian.
Anthrax and Black Label Society are set to kick off a joint North American tour, with support from Hatebreed. In advance of the outing, BLS frontman Zakk Wylde and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian got together via Zoom to discuss life on tour for Consequence‘s “Two for the Road” series.
The month-long trek kicks off Tuesday (July 26th) in Phoenix, Arizona, and runs through an August 28th show in Philadelphia. Tickets for the tour are currently available via Ticketmaster.
Wylde checked in from Black Label Society’s tour in Europe, while Ian signed on from his home in Los Angeles, as the two discussed the upcoming tour, their favorite pizza places, their memories of being on the road together in the ’80s, what it takes to grind it out in the music industry, and more.
After starting out with a “New York vs. New Jersey” pizza chat (Zakk grew up in New Jersey while Scott grew up in Queens, New York), the two metal legends recalled touring with each other when Anthrax opened for Ozzy Osbourne on his 1988 tour (with Zakk playing guitar in Ozzy’s band).
“On that Ozzy tour — first off, let’s get the 800-pound gorilla out of the way: we’re on fuckin’ tour with Ozzy! I’m mean, we’re a bunch of kids, and we walk into an arena every day … and you see Ozzy Osbourne walking down the hallway,” remembered Ian. “And he peeks his head in our dressing room, and says, ‘Hello’ … every day it blows your mind!”
Zakk then recalled Ozzy telling him about a similar experience he had when the Beatles first emerged in the UK. “[Ozzy] goes, ‘Zakk, when [the Beatles] first hit the scene, everything was so magical … everything was better: the air was fresher, food tasted better, water tasted better, your smelly socks didn’t smell anymore. Anything that was in your life was made better.’”
Ian then went on to praise Wylde, saying, “I became a big fan of yours immediately, hearing your guitar playing, and the way you filled that role as the lead guitar player with Ozzy, with an aggression and a passion to your playing that, to me, hadn’t been there for a long time. … You felt like the right guy at the right time.”
Wylde, who along with Ian, is a fan of the New York Yankees, compared landing the Ozzy gig to playing for the storied baseball team. “I always viewed that role [of playing in Ozzy’s band] as being … chosen to be a Yankee. I was a huge [fan of late Yankees catcher] Thurman Munson … and now [playing for Ozzy felt like I was] catching for the Yankees and standing in the same spot where my hero stood.”
For more stories from Wylde and Ian, watch the full “Two for the Road” conversation above. See the tour dates below, and pick up tickets to the Summer tour here.
Trouble viewing the video in the player above? Watch on YouTube.
Anthrax, Black Label Society and Hatebreed 2022 Tour Dates:
07/26 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
07/28 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
07/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Palladium
07/30 – Sacramento, CA @ Heart Health Park
08/01 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
08/02 – Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theater
08/04 – Gary, IN @ Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana
08/05 – Oshkosh, WI @ Oshkosh Arena
08/06 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore
08/08 – Dallas, TX @ Southside Ballroom *
08/09 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater
08/11 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
08/12 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
08/13 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
08/15 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady Music Center
08/16 – Nashville, @ TN Ryman Auditorium
08/18 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
08/19 – Rochester, NY @ Main Street Armory
08/20 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore *
08/22 – Pittsburgh, PA @ StageAE Outside
08/23 – Toronto, ON @ History
08/24 – Trois Riviere, QC @ Amphitheatre Cogeco
08/26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Coney Island Amphitheater
08/28 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore *
* = no Hatebreed