Joey Belladonna, the frontman of ANTHRAX, graced the stage at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado, on Sunday, October 29, to deliver a stirring rendition of the U.S. national anthem before the Denver Broncos faced off against the Kansas City Chiefs
Joey posted video of his performance to his YouTube channel and included the caption: “Thank you Denver Broncos for your hospitality and the honor to sing the National Anthem at Mile High Stadium! And without saying, thank you to the 62nd Air Force Squadron from Luke Air Force Base for their participation and service.”
This wasn’t Belladonna‘s first rodeo when it came to singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at sports events, having taken the center stage at various major occasions in recent years.
Joey previously told “Panini Unwrapped,” about the experience of performing the national anthem before massive crowds, acknowledging that many of the attendees might be less familiar with his name or the music of his band.
“I just love doing the anthem,” he said. “People get off on it. And I really respect the game and the anthem itself, so it’s a pleasure to be able to be asked to be a part of that.”
When asked how he would compare singing the anthem at a sporting event to performing for heavy metal fans, Joey said: “The anthem is even more tense, because you’re all by yourself, everything goes quiet, and there’s really no key to sing in. I just kind of go out there and just wing it, but I like to keep it traditional. But it is a very unnerving… Once it’s ten minutes before they give you the okay [to go out there and sing], it’s, like, ‘Woah!’ I’ve gotten nervous, but once you get going, you just focus on doing it.”
Belladonna‘s connection with ANTHRAX goes back to his original tenure as the band’s lead singer from 1984 to 1992, marking a significant chapter in the group’s history as part of its classic lineup, which also included Dan Spitz, Scott Ian, Frank Bello, and Charlie Benante.
His distinctive vocals were featured on over 10 albums, contributing to ANTHRAX‘s global album sales of eight million copies. In 2021, ANTHRAX celebrated its 40th anniversary with a series of special events and activities. The band, founded by Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, New York, on July 18, 1981, was at the vanguard of thrash metal, swiftly gaining recognition alongside METALLICA, SLAYER, and MEGADETH as genre pioneers.
Across five decades, ANTHRAX has released 11 studio albums, achieved multiple gold and platinum certifications, received six Grammy nominations, and embarked on global tours since 1984, including headlining legendary venues like Madison Square Garden and sharing the stage with the “Big Four” at Yankee Stadium.