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MEGADETH 20th Anniversary concert of their seminal masterpiece Rust In Peace began before the show even started as evidenced by the sign in the box office window "yes we really are sold out" The electricity was palpable as two perennial beasts EXODUS then TESTAMENT pounded the audience into a desperate frenzy. While we waited for Megadeth to hit the stage I was treated to possibly the worlds largest karaoke sing along to Iron Maiden's Two Minutes To Midnight which was funny, cool and a little scary. That was when I met a young man who seemed a bit down, you see he had rocked so hard during Testament that he had lost his pant's! Once I explained to him that most human's simply can't rock that hard he seemed to lighten up a bit. For those of you who are not familiar with Rust In Peace let me say this, it is a perfect record from start to finish (which is almost impossible in any genre) And was nominated for a Grammy in 1991 for best metal performance (the winner that year was Mettalica for a cover of the queen song Stone Cold Crazy umm... yeah okay whatever, it's good but umm... yeah whatever) What was so great for myself and fans alike is that Megadeth would be performing this record in order and in its entirety (many of these songs had never been preformed live like Five Magics, wow) Any fans of this kind of Metal know the first two tracks Holy Wars and Hanger 18 lick for lick and can air guitar, bass, drum or vocal wail it in their sleep. This concert was filmed for a live DVD and the crowd did not disappoint, singing along, moshing and head banging all the way through (I was out of breath just watching it go down) It's no secret that Dave Mustaine who is the singer, chief cook, song writer, founding member and ax bending genius has had his troubles with drugs and alchohol over the years and that that is something that catches up to you physically, I understand that he has been clean for some time now (way to go Dave)! That being said he looked fantastic, played fantastic, sounded fantastic and gave the loyal following everything that they asked for which is the mark of a true rock warrior. One thing that should also be noted is that Megadeth's newest record Endgame is like the previous two, fast, unrelenting and awesome... so go buy it, you will not regret it.
The band was in fine form with the return of David Ellefson on Bass, Shawn Drover on drums and on the other lead guitar the amazing Chris Broderick. For anyone who understands music theory even a little you can see that this is a very difficult record to play as there are multiple time changes per song, trading solos and marathon lengths. The band not only handled the material they nailed it to the wall. Megadeth ended their legendary set with Symphony Of Destruction Peace Sells and a very cool Holy Wars reprise which was met with much deserved fanfare. One of my favorite moments was when I met a dad who had brought his 8 year old son to see one of his favorite bands do in his words "their greatest album" The kid was having a ball, and as each one teach one about the things we love we can be sure that this transcendent music will find it's way through the generations. One thing I know for sure is that Metal is alive and well in Southern California and I suspect the rest of the world as well.4 out of 5 Anarchy Speakers
J.S.L.
Photos by Jdoggs Magoo
Original artwork poster by Two Rabbits Studios www.tworabbitsstudios.com
I really want to know more about the Exodus/Testament sets. Both those bands have put out new records that are, say, 10,000 times better than the latest Metallica offering. I'm going through a recent Exodus phase, actually, and considered going down just to see them open.
ReplyDeleteExodus was killer and had everyone moshing. They came out with Bonded by Blood and finsihed up with Toxic Waltz or Blacklist. Its hard to remember since I was trying to get myself out of the pit or off the ground most of the set. I must say these guys dang near stole the show.
ReplyDeleteTestament were stellar but I wasnt feeling the whole legacy album that night. Perhaps it was the drain from the exodus set before. The band was on fire as they have been each time Ive seen them. Glen Drover especialy did a great job of filling in for Alex Sklonick. Coing out to support were Kerry King and John Tempesta at stage side during their set.
Megadeth is well Megadeth can they do any wrong? of course but it didnt happen that night. They ripped through the set and I remember them sounding and looking great playing. Chris was shredding like always, David layed down some awesome bass with a rather familiar Jackson bass circa the RIP era.
Shawn's playing was super tight and his RIP inspired drums were a nice touch. Dave stil impresses me every time I see him play. He can rip like no other but like a good bandmate he knows when to let the other guys have the limelight. Just another reason why I repect the guy so much. Long live Megadeth.
THIS WAS TOO METAL FOR WORDS!
ReplyDeletemetal is alive and never dies here in latin america we are waiting for megadeth to como in guatemala, mexico and south america for the endgame tour
ReplyDeleteWhich country has the best metal scene in 2010?
ReplyDeleteI could not let myself live if I had missed this show. I drove from Phoenix, Az for this show! The show was absolute Metal, the crowd was rabid, energetic and loud! All three bands put on a great show. Funny thing is I had a few beers by the time Megadeth hit the stage, and I got a bit brave and entered the Mosh Pit! It was beyond exhilarating! Talk about tension relief! I can't wait for the American Carnage Tour in August here at home in the AZ, I got my tickets already! Gimme Megadeth Or Give Me DETH!
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