'Broken Stage' Forces Cancelation Of ANTHRAX And BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's Concert In Rochester

ANTHRAX and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY were forced to cancel their performances Friday night (August 19) at the Main Street Armory in Rochester, New York due to a "broken stage."

Earlier tonight, ANTHRAX and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY released the following statement via social media: "Due to unforeseen production issues, the show tonight at the Main Street Armory in Rochester had to be canceled by both ANTHRAX and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY as it was unsafe for the bands to perform.

"ANTHRAX and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY do not cancel shows lightly but we could not put the health and safety of the bands and crew at risk. All of the bands tonight apologize for the inconvenience and disappointment. We will be back to Rochester to rock another time.

"Refunds are available at the point of purchase starting Tuesday August 23."

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian also took to his personal Twitter to write: "Rochester we didn't want to cancel, we had to. The stage was broken, the venue did not fix it and it was not safe to continue the show. It's shitty for you, it's shitty for us. We'll be back my friends, on a real stage."

One fan who saw opening act HATEBREED perform at the Main Street Armory before the rest of the show was called off tweeted: "Rochester canceled after 5 songs from HATEBREED due to a 'broken stage'. HATEBREED front man states 'we have to get off stage, safety first, let's get this taken care of to see BLS!' And does one last song ??(5th song) then a 40 minute wait for a staff member to get on stage".

Fan-filmed video of HATEBREED's abbreviated performance can be seen below.

ANTHRAX kicked off its tour with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and HATEBREED on July 26 at Van Buren in Phoenix, Arizona. The trek will wrap up in Philadelphia at the Fillmore on Sunday, August 28. ANTHRAX and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY are both playing headline sets. HATEBREED, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the "Perseverance" album, is the special guest.

ANTHRAX and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY had shared festival stages and one-off shows numerous times, but this marks the very first time these two bands are touring together.

ANTHRAX's latest album, "For All Kings", came out in February 2016 via Nuclear Blast.

ANTHRAX celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021 with a number of special activities and events. Formed by Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, New York on July 18, 1981, ANTHRAX was one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast and quickly became regarded as a leader in the genre alongside METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH.

Active over the past five decades, ANTHRAX has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple gold and platinum certifications, received six Grammy nominations, toured the world since 1984 playing thousands of shows, including headlining Madison Square Garden and playing Yankee Stadium with the "Big Four".

"For All Kings" was called by some critics ANTHRAX's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the group experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the "Big Four" tour, and continuing with the release of comeback LP "Worship Music".

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is continuing to tour in support of its 11th studio album, "Doom Crew Inc.", which was released last November via MNRK Heavy (formerly eOne Music).