Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian revealed that he suffered from a serious back injury earlier this year, stating that freezing conditions during a performance on the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise left him struggling to even walk.
Speaking with Australia's Heavy ahead of Anthrax's upcoming Australian tour, the 62-year-old musician explained that the injury occurred in late January during the band's second performance on the cruise.
"This is the first time I've ever had to answer that question this way. I injured my back. We were on the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise at the end of January. And there was freak weather down off of the coast of south Florida and out in the Bahamas where that boat goes usually.
"It couldn't cruise down to the Bahamas 'cause there was a bad storm. So we just kind of stayed off the coast of Florida – like 20, 30 miles off shore – and there was a freak cold weather shit that happened. 'Cause Miami, Florida that time of year should be 70, 75 degrees Fahrenheit. And it was in the 30s — it was snowing weather. And we're out on the ocean, and the winds are blowing 40 miles per hour. And the second show we do on the boat on the Saturday night, you do it on the big pool deck.
"There's 3,000 people outside on the boat and you're playing outdoors. And it was literally freezing fucking cold. And we tried to get them to change the schedule so we could play in the theater again, but they couldn't move all the schedule around. And we didn't wanna play in the freezing cold, 'cause it obviously makes it very difficult, and for the fans. But all the fans were out there, so we're, like, 'Well, they're out there. We're not gonna cancel.'
"So we played. And we are very physical performers. I move around quite a bit on stage, jumping, stomping; I'm all over the place. And there was no way for my muscles – even though I warmed up, my muscles never warmed up. And by the end of the next day, after playing that show in the cold, my back went out, and I could barely walk for a week probably. I couldn't tie my shoes. I couldn't fucking put pants on. I never had pain like that, back spasms like this. It was insane."
The injury became even more challenging when Ian had to immediately travel to South America to complete shows with Mr. Bungle before continuing on tour with Anthrax alongside Megadeth and Exodus across Canada. "I was flying these 10-hour flights and I couldn't even move, dude," he said. "It was agony."
Throughout that run, Ian relied heavily on massage therapists, osteopaths, and other treatments just to get through each performance. "Every night on the tour seeing massage therapists, seeing fucking osteopaths, anything to get me through the show every night," he said, adding that he was performing at only "maybe 40%" of his normal ability.
While his mobility was limited, he still managed to power through the shows in true thrash fashion. "I couldn't jump. I couldn't stomp my feet… If anything, maybe my playing was better," he joked. "What else can I do? I headbanged harder, because it didn't hurt for me to headbang."
Now, back home and undergoing physical therapy, Ian says he's gradually improving and hopes to be close to full strength when Anthrax kick off their Australian run. "I'm definitely better than I was a week ago," he said. "I'm hoping another week will go by, and by the time I get on stage in Brisbane… I'm hoping I'll be somewhere in the 70-75% range of what I should feel like."
Ian also pointed to the importance of self-care for veteran musicians, referencing Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, who recently announced his retirement from touring due to physical limitations.
"It was so hard some nights in Canada," Ian admitted. "The audience doesn't know I'm up there with fucking spasms running down my leg in the middle of the show. They don't know – they just think I'm making a metal face."
For Ian and his bandmates, maintaining their health is essential to keeping the thrash machine running.
"We're hyper aware of having to take care of ourselves," he said, praising Anthrax singer Joey Belladonna for maintaining his voice into his sixties. "The guy is in that rare air of dudes that age who can still sing like that," Ian said. "And it's not just because of magic – it's because he takes care of himself."
