Anthrax's Charlie Benante To Miss First Few Weeks Of Upcoming North American Tour With Volbeat, Jon Dette To Fill In

Charlie says in a statement:  "This was a difficult decision to make, especially as I had to miss dates on the last cycle because of my hand surgery.  But the fact is, playing a show five or more times a week just isn't realistic right now.  I found that out when we were making our new album, and I don't want to let the fans down by not being able to give it everything I have at every show.

I was driving the other day and my hand went numb, so unfortunately, it's just not 100 percent yet.  I figure I can play for maybe three weeks at a time, but then I have to let it rest.

The guys in the band have been incredibly understanding and supportive, and I hope the fans will be as well.  The positive side is that I plan to use the time off the road constructively and focus on our upcoming album, continue to work on the package artwork and develop a number of other ideas I've got for the campaign."

Charlie plans to rejoin the band on stage for the band's performance at Rock On The Range on May 17th in Columbus. We wish Charlie well with his therapy and we wish Anthrax the best of luck on the tour kicking off tomorrow.  Which of the following cities will you be seeing Anthrax and Volbeat in?

Apr 24 - Denver, CO - 1STBANK Centre
Apr 25 - Rapid City, SD - Rushmore Plaza Civic Centre
Apr 27 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena
Apr 28 - Missoula, MT - Adams Centre
Apr 29 - Seattle, WA - WaMu Theatre
May 01 - Grand Prairie, AB - Revolution Place
May 02 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
May 03 - Calgary, AB - Stampede Corral
May 04 - Saskatoon, SK - SaskTel Centre
May 06 - Regina, SK - Brandt Centre

Blog author:  Alex Stojanovic

Well, we have some bummer news.  We've learned that Anthrax skinsman Charlie Benante will have to sit out the first few weeks of the band's North American tour with Volbeat, which kicks off tomorrow in Denver.

Reason being is that Charlie has to undergo physical therapy for his continuing battle with carpal tunnel syndrome. However though, his replacement will be none other than Jon Dette, who has filled in for Charlie in the past and has also performed with Slayer, Testament and Iced Earth, and is now the current drummer in Meshiaak.

May 07 - Grand Forks, ND - Ralph Engelstad Arena
May 09 - Somerset, WI - Northern Invasion Festival
May 10 - Madison, WI - WJJO Radio Show
May 12 - Oshawa, ON - General Motors Place
May 13 - Ottawa, ON - TD Place
May 14 - Quebec City, QC - Pepsi Colisee
May 15 - Montreal, QC - CEPSUM
May 17 - Columbus, OH - Crew Stadium (Rock On The Range)
May 18 - Saginaw, MI - Dow Events Centre
May 19 - Evansville, IN - Ford Centre
May 20 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
May 22 - Sioux City, IA - Tyson Events Centre
May 23 - Pryor, OK - Rocklahoma
May 24 - San Antonio, TX - River City Rockfest
May 25 - El Paso, TX - Wet & Wild Water Park Balloonfest
May 27 - Dallas, TX - Verizon Theatre
May 28 - Houston, TX - Bayou Music Centre
May 30 - Kansas City, MO - KC Rockfest
May 31 - St. Louis, MO - Pop's (Outdoors)
Jun 02 - New York City, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom