GIG: Megadeth/Job For A Cowboy/Evile

As soon as I realised Megadeth were coming to Newcastle, I went bonkers. Without a doubt I knew it would be one hell of a night. And it was! Two months after buying tickets, I and a few mates headed to town with metal in mind. This was touted as Dave Mustaine's UK "Gigantour" - however the lineup supporting Megadeth paled in comparison to America's version. It's easy to see why, as many venues are smaller over here. When we got there, the queue to get in was huge, so we decided to leave it for a while. With Job For A Cowboy and Evile for support, we weren't too bothered about getting in early. After a short wander, we went in anyway in the middle of Evile's set. These guys didn't sound too bad, and they had a pretty good rapport. Unfortunately I had to endure Job For A Cowboy after that, a band I really wasn't liking. Too much growl and spit, with no class. Tension grew in the place as everyone waited for Dave Mustaine and his metal maestros to come onstage. Adrenaline flowed as Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song played over the speakers. Prelude to madness, methinks.

The lights go down. Sleepwalker. The crowd goes mental. The familiar figure of Dave Mustaine filled centre stage. We were at the mercy of Megadeth, an audience of quite literally all ages. Rockers and metalheads young and old. They breezed through Take No Prisoners and Skin O' My Teeth, before Mustaine mocked the balcony-seated-fans for being too scared to enter the floor, where all hell was breaking loose around me. A fair share of more new stuff was played off the excellent United Abominations album, including Washington Is Next!, Gears of War, the new version of A Tout Le Monde, and Never Walk Alone...A Call To Arms. There was no time to admire shiny guitars as In My Darkest Hour (highlight of the night for me) rattled out. Credit to Dave, he put emotion into his performance. This is a man who knows how to express himself. Nearly all of the classic and legendary Deth songs were played in fantastic fashion, including Wake Up Dead, the deja-vu inducing Trust, the intensely satisfying Symphony of Destruction, and of course Rust In Peace...Polaris and Tornado of Souls from the awesome Rust In Peace album - considered one of thrash's best.

By this time, being at the front of the crowd was a fight to stay alive. The heat, sweat and dehydration of attempting to keep on your feet was memorable, to say the least. This was, in my eyes, metal at its greatest. Towards the end I was mostly in front of new guitarist Chris Broderick (see top), and I was really impressed. He didn't seem phased at all, and didn't miss a thing. Megadeth went off stage, but the night wasn't over yet. To massive cheers, Mustaine, Broderick, James LoMenzo (bass) and Shawn Drover (drums) came back on stage. They had saved the best 'til last, powering out Peace Sells. I have a vivid memory of standing next to this fifty-plus year old guy with long gray hair and wearing leather, giving me a mad look and us all singing "Whaddya mean I don't believe in God...talk to him every day...". Frickin' brilliant. After this, the last tune was Holy Wars...The Punishment Due. The best word for that I think is intense.

By the time it was all over, I was exhausted, dehydrated, sweaty, and half deaf. I knew it was one of the best gigs I'd ever see.