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Rating: My expectations for this concert were sky-high... Megadeth at their first concert in Italy after a powerful album like "Endgame," with Ellefson back on bass and that monster Broderick on guitar... As if that wasn't enough, it was the twentieth anniversary of "Rust In Peace," a fundamental album in the history of thrash and full of memorable and wonderful tracks. But let's take it in order: Estragon in Bologna, a place I remember for its terrible acoustics (I had heard a Fear Factory concert there a few years ago); I discover that the supporting acts are two very Italian bands, Sadist and Labyrinth.
At 8:00 PM, the Genoese start, having just released their latest album "Season In Silence"; impressive to see the guitarist playing chords on his guitar while playing pieces on the keyboard!!! The bassist and drummer also don't miss a beat and proceed like mad trains. The tracks are offered from both the latest album and the unforgettable "Tribe"; the only weak point, from my very personal point of view, is the voice, which doesn't do justice to Sadist's wonderful and complicated pieces, but that's just an opinion. Half an hour of concert and, after a quick instrument change, we move on to Labyrinth, whom I had never heard and will hardly listen to again after this live performance. In reality, their performance was sincere, clean, and precise, and likely pleased the fans who had come to listen to them (few, I think, since already after the third song the crowd was shouting "Megadeth, Megadeth...!!!"). Unfortunately, though, their musical proposal tired me out, the tracks are all the same: arpeggio, very predictable riff, blistering solos, and the singer's improbable high notes. They also proposed a track that will be published on the next album, but this did not really manage to capture my attention, also because by then everyone was already waiting for the 'deth!
After the Labyrinth's performance, we waited until 10:30 PM; the change of stage was quite long, with very long and repetitive soundchecks. Finally, we made it; the sick notes of "War Pigs" started to come out of the speakers as Shawn Drover, Chris Broderick, Dave Ellefson, and finally Dave Mustaine took the stage, with a crescendo of ovations that shook the foundations of Estragon!!! And we're off! Starting straight away with the instrumental "Dialectic Chaos", and the mosh pit starts mercilessly, and then with the beautiful "This Day We Fight", where Dave begins to sing, and the mosh pit becomes even more intense! Unfortunately, the sounds aren't clean at all, and Mustaine's voice is practically inaudible... and this will last throughout the concert; but it won't matter much, since all the songs were sung out loud from start to finish by the audience present! The next songs are "Wake Up Dead" and "In My Darkest Hour", after which the good Dave announces that Megadeth have decided to play "Rust In Peace" tonight; and at this point Megadeth begin to play ALL THE TRACKS of "Rust In Peace": "Holy War," "Hangar 18," "Take No Prisoner," "Five Magic," "Poison Was The Cure," "Lucretia," "Tornado Of Souls," "Dawn Patrol" and the final "Rust In Peace".
Any comment is obviously superfluous; everyone expected many pieces from this album, but I think no one expected to hear it played entirely, track by track without interruptions! The performances of the four, excluding the sounds and levels, which were what they were, were spine-tingling... Drover was a running train and didn't miss a beat, his drum sounds like cannon shots, while Ellefson occasionally opened the tracks with bass pieces, stealing the scene from the others, and the Mustaine/Broderick duo proved to be truly excellent and in perfect harmony! The solos were played just as they were recorded in the studio, and even Mustaine was really pissed off, with his gaze fixed on guitar and microphone, delivering a performance that only the greatest can give. The audience was obviously ecstatic, the screams and cheers even drew some satisfied smiles from Mustaine, who was literally carried triumphantly by his fans!!!
After "Rust In Peace" ended, we continued without a moment's pause with "Headcrusher," "Sweating Bullets," "Symphony Of Destruction," and "A Tout Le Monde." The encore instead brought "Trust" and the splendid "Peace Sells." Not content, Dave Mustaine starts introducing the band members and finally attacks again with the final solo of "Holy War" until the end of the track...!!! No words...
This was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and intense concerts I have ever seen. Megadeth are in great shape, and Mustaine once again proved to be a great guitarist. From a vocal point of view, his performance certainly left something to be desired, even though the sounds certainly didn't help him, but again, this thing took a back seat to the devastating power of the concert they gifted us. Fantastic, unsurpassable!!!
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