MEGADETH + EXODUS @ Roseland Ballroom, NY, NY - 11/08/04

Posted: 11/23/04

Reviewed by: Steve Gottlieb

Category: Heavy Metal

Label URL: www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.com

Band URL:  www.megadeth.com

While Metallica was trying to convince the Big Apple that they’re still heavy with their ‘theater in the round’ recently at Madison Square Garden, a more convincing argument was made by Dave Mustaine and his comeback with Megadeth, the band we all once thought was dead and buried.  And by bringing Exodus, with their own great 2004 ‘back from the dead’ story, along for the ride, Mustaine ensured a great night of metal that the fans in attendance won’t soon forget.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them, at least in the beginning.  The venue was Roseland, a great place to see a show…once you’re inside, that is.  Getting inside may be problematic, however, as Roseland’s inept door staff made airport security workers seem like the epitome of efficiency.  The line that wrapped around the block didn’t really move between the time the doors opened and the time Exodus’ set was over.  Thanks, Roseland.  This is not the way it needs to be.  I recently walked right up to the doors at the Iron Maiden/Arch Enemy concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom and saw every single note of the opening band.  No such luck for me with Exodus.  After finally making it inside when the band was finished with their set, I heard that they were great, and played at least seven songs from Bonded by Blood.  Wish I had seen it.

Luckily, I made it inside in plenty of time to see Megadeth.  Dusting off an oldie but a goodie to open their set with “Set the World Afire” followed immediately with “Skin O’ My Teeth,” Mustaine proved that he was back with a vengeance.  Although the band now has different players than their early 90s heyday, they still look the part, and more importantly, sound great.  New songs such as “Kick the Chair” and “Something I’m Not” sounded just as good, and not out of place, alongside classics like “Wake Up Dead,” and the enthusiastic crowd loved it all, even the lackluster video-single “Die Dead Enough.”  Surprisingly, their two semi-ballads “In My Darkest Hour” and “A Tout Le Monde” received a greater crowd reaction than the two songs that best represent the ‘Megadeth sound,’ namely “Angry Again,” and “Trust.”  With so many must-play songs, they still managed to throw in a few surprises, like “Tornado of Souls” and “Reckoning Day,” as well as some of their new material.

The usually verbose Mustaine kept his between-song banter to a minimum, and didn’t even greet the crowd until four songs into the set.  He did acknowledge his recent medical problems with his wrist that kept him on the sidelines, but certainly proved his resiliency throughout the night, riffing and soloing as if nothing had ever happened.  New guitarist Glen Drover picked up any slack, and his solos were so dead on that you’d think he and not Marty Friedman had played them originally.  “Hangar 18,” “Sweating Bullets,” and “Symphony of Destruction” were great back-to-back songs leading up to the finale, wherein the guys from Exodus joined the band onstage to sing some backup vocals.  Finally, they ended with two politically charged songs, most appropriate given current world events: “Peace Sells” closed out the set, and then, after a short break, they encored with the always satisfying “Holy Wars.”  Every note, every lick, dead on, which is what we’ve come to expect from Mustaine, and he didn’t let the crowd down.