On the Road Again
Live Reviews:

MEGADETH
November 6, 1999
The Warehouse, Toronto

Dave Mustaine Of Megadeth

Many would say that Megadeth had taken a "Risk" releasing their latest CD, as well as their '97 offering Cryptic Writings, what with less metal and more of a friendly rock 'n' roll flavour. It was a little surprising then that Megadeth had nearly 1,500 in attendance at The Warehouse, many of them appearing to be long-time fans, complete with out-of-date t-shirts and bearded visages.

Which Megadeth would show up to play though; the trendy foursome, or the downright venomous masters of metal? As it turns out, both.

Hitting the stage with a pair of new songs from Risk, singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine and crew delivered the music in a heavier bent, impressing many in attendance. Risk has taken a beating in the press as being the bands most commercial and accessible album, but live, the music was actually played like heavy metal songs, something the older following was pleasantly stunned by.

It didn't hurt that the band had a better than average sound, especially considering the Warehouse is the second worst sounding venue in Toronto. The echo was minimal, and the band's playing ability up as this was their most lively and inspired performance on Canadian soil over the last few years. This was noticed by the crowd as well, who gave a favourable response to new tune "Prince Of Darkness," with loud wails and a fair-sized mosh-pit.

Of course, the band recognizing that they had to impress or fall further down the sales spiral also played much of their back catalogue, including "Holy War/The Punishment Due," from their landmark album Rust In Peace, followed by "In My Darkest Hour." The crowd went nuts with almost every person singing along. Good thing too, as Mustaine's voice isn't what it once was, going through a nasal whine throughout much of the show. This hasn't affected his guitar playing ability, though, as he and fellow guitarist Marty Friedman have the chops, and man, the riffing and soloing was possibly the best played to date.

The slew of older material carried on with "Reckoning Day" and "Hangar 18," further whipping the crowd into a frenzy. It truly seemed like a hardcore fan night with the band playing up to the crowd and trying to elicit a response every chance they could.

Of course, this was also one of the bands irritating qualities too, as Mustaine and crew truly acted like rock stars on occasion, making asses out of themselves. Apart from that, the only problems the band seemed to have were the mics cutting out every once in a while.

The band was showcasing a new album, however, and some newer material would creep up again in the form of "Breadline" and "Crush 'Em," the latter getting a huge crowd response with everyone singing the chorus. It was almost expected that WCW star Goldberg would come out and spear the band.

When all was almost said and done, the band predictably came out for their two-song encore of covers; "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath, and "Anarchy In The U.K." from the Sex Pistols. Megadeth is well known for playing these two, and always closes with the latter, something too predictable, especially when given the chance to try something new and better.

Overall, a good show, with not too many lowlights. It seems that the new material is best ingested live and that Megadeth had something to prove. And to the audience, many of whom left with a happy grin, the band made their point.