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 MEGADETH11.10.04 ROSELAND BALLROOM NYC, NY review and photos by kevin purcell After three years of silence, imposed by a potentially career ending injury, Megadeth is finally back… sort of. Here’s a quick recap for those out of the loop. In the spring of 2002, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine mysteriously damaged his fretting hand while off the road. After visiting with several doctors, all of whom agreed he might never play guitar again, let alone the technically demanding riffing his catalog requires of him, he announced that Megadeth was disbanding. Nearly a year into his rehabilitation, he miraculously regained full use of his hand and set about plans for a solo project. That solo project would eventually go by the name Megadeth. While one could rightly argue that Megadeth has always been a Mustaine solo project, I tend to disagree. Had it not been for the incredible soloing of Marty Friedman and the sheer insanity of David Ellefson, Megadeth could have easily imploded instead of becoming the heavy metal revolutionary it is today. Which brings us back to the present. Mustaine, along with guitarist Glen Drover (King Diamond), bassist James MacDonough (Iced Earth) and drummer Shawn Drover (Eidolon), have returned to the road with a recent visit to New York’s Roseland Ballroom. As expected, Megadeth pummeled through new and old classics with a level of perfection and aggression sure to satisfy both prog and speed freaks alike. In true Dave Mustaine form, snarls and all, the loose cannon casually approached the stage with one purpose, to do things his way… and maybe knock some teeth out in the process (as indicated by a verbal confrontation with an attendee who made the mistake of flipping him off).  The first half of the concert was a mixture of material that followed the trend of one new song, one old song, one new song and so on. Unfortunately Megadeth, with some of the sharpest chops in heavy metal, was unable to make the odd flip-flopping flow evenly. While the unevenness could have been responsible for some of the glazed eyes, many fans seemed busy wondering, “Who are the other guys on stage?” This, perhaps, included the individual manning the spotlight as well as he focused the spotlight almost entirely on Mustaine. This in turn led to several awkward moments with Glen Drover having to step in front of Mustaine during guitar solos, just to gain a couple seconds in said spotlight. Aside from the initial confusion between the new material and new band members, the concert was remarkably solid. The new guys played to near perfection, which is quite a feat for Drover in particular, given the tremendous demands of Marty Friedman’s guitar soloing. By the time the band went into “Reckoning Day,” the show was pushing forward at full speed. As expected, the lovely suicide note “A Tout Le Monde” had fans singing along and taking complete control of singing duty during the choruses. It goes without mention that closing songs “Peace Sells,” “Symphony Of Destruction,” “Hangar 18,” “Sweating Bullets” and “Holy Wars” set the crowd into a frenzy. Perhaps it would have been better in the grand scheme of things if a couple of the songs had been sprinkled in the first half of the set, but I’m in no position to question the reasoning of Mustaine. Although the stage appeared slightly vacant without David Ellefson and the setlist could have flowed a little smoother, Megadeth was still a force to be reckoned with. Put aside the slight changes and focus on the fact that Megadeth remains one of heavy metal’s most influential bands and you’ll definitely enjoy the newest incarnation of Megadeth (for however long it lasts). Setlist: World On Fire Skin O’ My Teeth The Scorpion Wake Up Dead Something That I’m Not In My Darkest Hour Angry Again Mice And Men Reckoning Day A Tout Le Monde Die Dead Enough Trust Tornado Of Souls Kick The Chair Hangar 18 Sweating Bullets Symphony Of Destruction Back In The Day Peace Sells Holy Wars…The Punishment Due |