BuzzPony Journal – Anvil On The Road – Show Review 2017
What can I say about Anvil that hasn’t already been written in their 40 years of writing music, recording albums and touring? Coming from a relatively “new” fan, at least when I compare my years to those in attendance at the shows who have been following the band since its inception in the late 70s, I can say that this is one hellava band who has earned their reputation as one of the early heavy metal influencers. Anvil is determined to stay true to their sound. To date the band has release 16 full-length studio albums, a testament to their perseverance and the heart and soul they pour into their craft.
The 3-piece, with Steve “Lips” Kudlow (vocals, guitar), Robb Reiner (drums) and Chris Robertson (bass), are continuing road support of their latest album Anvil is Anvil, on the 40 Years of Pounding Metal tour. This tour kicked off on March 2nd with dates scheduled so far through the end of May, hitting cities in the US and Canada.
We were able to catch the show in Omaha, NE on March 30th at the Lookout Lounge. This tour brings support of Night Demon and Graveshadow. The show opened with the band launching into the instrumental March of the Crabs, with Lips heading down into the middle of the crowd, spotlighted by many cell phone flashlights while ripping away at his guitar. Fans cited this as one of their favorite moments of the show. According to one of the long-time fans in attendance a highlight was hearing This is 13 on the set list, the title track from their 2007 album and definitely a crowd favorite was the more recent Daggers and Rum, the pirate anthem from the Anvil is Anvil album (2016), with the audience chanting right along with the chorus.
It was an entertaining show with plenty of heavy riffs, a fantastic drum solo from Robb, those great stories from Lips between songs and of course the traditional whipping out of the dildo (rainbow colored) for a little guitar frenzy in the middle of the show. 
The close of the show brought the expected classic, Metal on Metal, with all in attendance crowding in to help chant the chorus, fists in air. After a very brief pause while the crowd cheered “Anvil, Anvil” again and again as you would expect fans to do after they just rocked out to their favorite songs, the band regrouped to finish off the night with 2 more tunes for an encore. Definitely a great night of metal and a good crowd of die hard fans to soak it up. When asking many of the show goers what they liked best about the night, I heard over and over that the absolute best part was how happy the band looked on stage, after all these years. Fans truly appreciated seeing the guys demonstrate they are doing what they truly love to do. Whether tearing it up for thousands at a festival or a smaller crowd at the more intimate club dates, the fans witnessed the passion Anvil brings to metal and, after 40 yrs still forging on with new music and a live show not-to-be missed.
Check out the full gallery of pictures from the show HERE
by Buzzpony Staff
BuzzPony Journal 2017