Megadeth – The Myth – Maplewood, MN – November 23, 2013

Written by Tracy Hansen.  Photography by Kyle Hansen of RKH Images.

Megadeth opens their tour on a cold night in Saint Paul, Minnesota.  Fans are dedicated enough to stand in the seven degree weather for nearly an hour, some wearing nothing but their T-shirts and jeans.  Once inside the club, everyone is eager to see not only Megadeth, but the opening bands as well.

Nonpoint is the first band to hit the stage.  As far as a show goes, Nonpoint never disappoints.  They play with more energy than some bands ever do in all their shows combined.  Unlike many opening bands, they have several fans in the crowd that sing songs verbatim back to them.  The band proceeds to interact with fans after a short eight song set, wandering throughout the club to meet people and speak with fans.

Fear Factory is up next, a band that many have not had the chance to see since their high school days.  Fear Factory is loud, if they had to be served up in one word.  They’re a great band, but come prepared with a set of good earplugs because your ears will hate you the next day if you do not.  They play through a number of songs from various albums, treating their fans.

Megadeth hits the stage after a decent intermission between bands, beginning with “Hanger 18”.  As far as crowd surfing goes, the first three songs are riddled with people flying over the barricades.  It’s easy to note the seasoned veterans of shows, as they simply dash past security and back into the club to come over the barricade again.  The energy has heightened immensely.  It’s interesting that Megadeth always seems to bring the same amount of vigor to every show they have.  There is never any downtime and this is not an exception.

Dave spends a few moments speaking to the crowd and it is noteworthy to mention that he thanks us for coming out in the cold weather.  We all can’t help but appreciate that, as it is very cold outside and several people could have decided against it.  They then continue on, playing a varied selection of hits, including, “A Tout le Monde”, “She-Wolf”, “Trust”, and “Symphony of Destruction”.

“Peace Sells…” is undoubtedly the hit of evening.   Everyone is one their feet rocking out to that songs, even the bartender is on the bar head banging, to a song that clearly never disappoints.  They finish out the show with the encore of “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due” leaving the fans wanting more.  It’s always interesting to see the first show of a tour and we can only hope that the remainder of the tour leaves fans as satisfied as this one.