A sold out sea of rabid fans showed up to welcome Dave Mustaine & Co. to the Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls, NY this past Saturday night. Southern California’s, “Kyng,” opened the show and although those in attendance were receptive to their 3-piece, hard rock sound, fired up fans couldn’t hold back and started chanting “Mega-a deth, Meg-a-deth,” during Kyng’s set. They didn’t seem to mind though, as proven by enthusiastically joining in.
Megadeth walked on stage at 8:15pm, relatively early for a weekend show, and immediately delivered a one, two punch to the crowd with “Trust,” and “Hangar 18.” “Public Enemy #1” served as the 3rd primer before performing “Countdown to Extinction” in its entirety, as this tour celebrates the 20th anniversary of its release.
Two large video screens were positioned behind the band, but hung high enough for those in the back of the venue to see clearly. I would have liked to have seen more of the actual performance on the screen instead of the plethora of graphics, but assuming they were meant to enhance the songs and the show, I can’t complain. High points of the set of course were, “Sweating Bullets,” Symphony of Destruction,” and “Foreclosure of a Dream.” However, many die-hard fans, donning various vintage Megadeth tees, sang along and pumped their fists throughout every song of the evening, while Mustaine offered plenty of political commentary between tunes to ponder.
The “Meg-a-deth” chant began once again, at the end of a blistering rendition of “Peace Sells.” Unfortunately, only one song remained, “Holy Wars,” and as quickly as it began, it was over. I looked at my watch, 10:30…really? Many fans wanted more, but seemed fully appreciative of the show they just witnessed. I’ve seen Megadeth quite a few times, and true to form, they did not disappoint, and neither did the sold-out crowd that once again proves metal is alive and well in Western NY.
Set List:
Trust
Hangar 18
Public Enemy No.1
Skin O’ My Teeth
Symphony of Destruction
Architecture of Aggression
Sweating Bullets
This Was My Life
Countdown to Extinction
High Speed Dirt
Psychotron
Captive Honour
Ashes in Your Mouth
Encore:
Peace Sells Holy Wars
All Photos by Gus Griesinger. We would like to thank Candice Dorsey from EMI for the credentials so BackstageAxxess could review the show.
