Scott Ian shares details of back injury sustained at cold cruise performance with Anthrax

Scott Ian, the guitarist for Anthrax, disclosed that he had a severe back injury earlier this year, as per MetalInjection. He claimed that the frigid weather during a performance on the 70000 Tonnes of Metal cruise made it difficult for him to even walk. The 62-year-old rocker revealed that the injury happened in late January during the band’s second performance on the cruise in an interview with Australia’s Heavy ahead of Anthrax’s forthcoming Australian tour.

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.

Ian’s injury got considerably more difficult when he had to go straight to South America to finish performances with Mr. Bungle before completing Anthrax‘s tour across Canada with Megadeth and Exodus.

I was flying these 10-hour flights and I couldn’t even move, dude. It was agony.

Ian needed osteopaths, massage therapists, and other therapies to get through each show throughout that run.

Every night on the tour seeing massage therapists, seeing fucking osteopaths, anything to get me through the show every night, I was performing at maybe 40% of my normal ability.

Despite having restricted mobility, he was nevertheless able to perform in a thrash-like manner throughout the events.

I couldn’t jump. I couldn’t stomp my feet… If anything, maybe my playing was better. What else can I do? I headbanged harder, because it didn’t hurt for me to headbang.

Ian says he’s progressively getting better now that he’s back home and receiving physical therapy, and he hopes to be nearly at full strength when Anthrax begins their Australian swing.

I’m definitely better than I was a week ago. 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 used Twisted Sister‘s Dee Snider, who recently announced his retirement from touring owing to physical restrictions, to highlight the significance of self-care for seasoned performers.

It was so hard some nights in Canada. 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.