Watch Joey Belladonna + Steel Panther Cover ‘Don’t Stop Believin”
Show us a person who says metal singers don’t have range, and we’ll show you a video of Anthrax’s Joey Belladonna blazing through a cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” with Steel Panther. (Even if you’re not a person who says that, you can still watch the performance below.)
The thrash icon took the stage with the glam-metal parodists on Thursday (July 15) at Rock Fest in Cadott, Wis., where both Anthrax and Steel Panther performed alongside Korn, Rob Zombie, Limp Bizkit and many other artists. Belladonna took the first verse, then began trading lines with Steel Panther frontman Michael Starr.
The “Don’t Stop Believin'” cover is familiar territory for both artists. Last year, Belladonna — an avowed Journey fan and open-mic night frequenter — launched his Journey tribute group, Journey Beyond. The group played its first show on March 6, 2020 (shortly before the coronavirus pandemic halted live music), running through a robust set that included mega-hits like “Wheel in the Sky,” “Lights,” “Any Way You Want It,” “Faithfully” and, of course, “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
Steel Panther, meanwhile, have been incorporating the Journey classic into their live sets since their days as Metal Skool, the Sunset Strip’s premier hair metal cover band in the early 2000s. They routinely welcomed celebrities to join them onstage and wail their way through the song, including one memorable performance featuring former NFL star Tony Romo and actor Dennis Haskins, who played Mr. Belding on the beloved sitcom Saved by the Bell.
Moreover, the high-octane pairing of Steel Panther and Belladonna has taken place before: Both artists performed “Don’t Stop Believin'” together at England’s O2 Academy Newcastle back in 2012.
Anthrax released their last studio album, For All Kings, in 2016. Drummer Charlie Benante recently promised a new album will come out in 2022. Steel Panther, meanwhile, announced the departure of bassist Lexxi Foxx in a statement yesterday, claiming that Foxx was leaving the band to pursue his pet-beautification side hustle, “Sexy Lexxi’s Prettiest Pets.”