DESTROY ALL ENEMIES!
As a diehard Hard Rock and Heavy Metal fan I’ve been truly blessed to have witnessed almost 200 concerts in my 60 years on this planet of Rock- and I have no plans of slowing down soon. “Rock Rock Til You Drop!” continues to be both my and The Rocker Chic Danette’s battle cry in this mosh pit of life!
So to see a Legendary Heavy Metal Band like Megadeth for the first time made this old geezer feel 40 years younger to say the least!
The Rocker Chic Danette has one up on me by having seen Dave and company back in the late nineties, but her recollections do not paint the best picture of Megadeth in concert back then. “When I saw them I was right up near the stage!” she recalls. “I really like Dave’s vocals, but for some reason he was just yelling the vocals and not even trying to sing! Plus, they didn’t even play my favorite song “Train Of Consequences”!
Megadeth on tour in 2024 has met with some criticism as well by having Nu Metal giants Mudvayne and Metalcore pioneers All That Remains opening for them. With Megadeth being more of a Legacy band you would think a co-headlining tour with the likes of say… Pantera… might fit the bill a little better, but Dave Mustaine does what Dave Mustaine wants, and that’s what makes me appreciate him even more!
And as for this Rocker, this highly diversified mix of Nu Metal, Metalcore, and Heavy Metal made for one incredible night of music to witness on the “Destroy All Enemies” tour’s opening night at Walmart AMP in Rogers, Arkansas on August 2nd!
First off I would like to personally apologize to the members of All That Remains for not being able to witness their performance due to circumstances beyond our control. The Rocker Chic and I did hear positive feedback from those who did attend their super-charged set!
Joining us for Mudvayne and Megadeth were my Rocker Spawn April and my soon to be Rocker Son-In-Law Boyce. When it comes to my obsession with hearing great rock and roll and metal the apple doesn’t fall far from the music tree with these two! What a GREAT TIME we had in Rogers, Arkansas!
MUDVAYNE DETERMINED
TO DIG IT OUT!
What an incredible set by Mudvayne! Mixing elements of death metal, jazz, jazz fusion, progressive rock, speed metal, thrash metal, and even world music all into one kick-ass show is hard to do, but Mudvayne made it happen effortlessly, and even threw in some truly emotional moments during their 11-song blistering performance. Not bad for a band that is still getting back into their groove after a lengthy band hiatus.
With Mudvayne you get all the goods, and Chad Gray and company left it all out on the stage for us on Friday night.
The Rocker Chic Danette and I, along with our special guests were all treated to a spectacular display of musicianship and showmanship during Mudvane’s 11-song set.
I admit that I was initially interested in capturing some cool photos of these incredible outfits and makeup creations of the band, but the power and intensity of the performance soon took center stage!
Mudvayne members Greg Tribbet on lead guitar, Matthew McDonough on drums, Ryan Martinie on bass, and touring guitarist Marcus Rafferty all were in top form and pummeled the Arkansas crowd into submission, but it was vocalist and ringleader Chad Gray who took center stage of this Nu-Metal meets Alt-Metal juggernaut.
But with all the musical influences and math-rock vibes that night, it was the one to one connection that Chad Gray delivered to the crowd that put this performance over the top for me. He sang and spoke with passion to the Walmart AMP crowd about the importance of being yourself and not being controlled in your actions by others. He also wasn’t afraid to express his own emotions on stage and on display for all to witness, which, in turn, took this performance to another level for me. He exercised some demons that night that we were all privileged to witness.
After a short break to change staging for the mighty Megadeth the crowd was AMP’d up at Walmart AMP and I couldn’t wait to witness my first Megadeth concert with my kick ass family by my side.
MEGADETH DELIVER DYSTOPIAN DYNAMITE
The new lineup of Dave Mustaine, James LoMenzo, Dirk Verbeuren and Teemu Mantysaari works incredibly well considering they’ve only seen a year on the road together!
Is Teemu better than Kiko, Marty, Glen, Chris or any of the other previous lead guitarists in Megadeth? To each his own on that one, but we thought Teemu carried his own and then some during the bands’ opening night of the tour. The emphasis was on the songs themselves, and Megadeth delivered the goods on every note and drum beat played that night. They sounded like a well-oiled machine that is far from running out of steam anytime soon. Legacy band my ass! Megadeth can still deliver the goods just as powerfully live as any other rock act or metal band on the road today.
The Rocker Chic Danette commented, “Dave sounded so much better this time than back in the 90s! He actually tried to sing the songs and get the words out… but… they still didn’t play Train Of Consequences!”
My Rocker Spawn daughter April also agreed on Dave’s performance and how well the band played. “It was one of the best concerts I’ve seen in a long time!”
Future Rocker Son-In-Law Boyce also enjoyed the show, but he just had to bring up the other “M” – band word… “This Megadeth concert was even better than the Metallica concert I saw!” With that statement I believe I actually saw Vic Rattlehead do a 360 from the stage and say- “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil!”.
To each his own, but on this particular night, I believe Megadeth owned it also…
MUDVAYNE SETLIST
Dig
Under My Skin
Not Falling
Death Blooms
Fall Into Sleep
A New Game
Dull Boy
Nothing to Gein
Fish Out of Water
World So Cold
Happy?
MEGADETH SETLIST
The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!
Hangar 18
Dread and the Fugitive Mind
Sweating Bullets
Angry Again
She-Wolf
Skin o' My Teeth
Dystopia
Trust
A tout le monde
Tornado of Souls
We'll Be Back
Symphony of Destruction
Peace Sells
Encore: Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
MEGADETH ARTWORK
BY THE ROCKER!
Tornado Of Souls
Symphony of Destruction
