Megadeth
“Destroy All Enemies”
w/ Mudvayne & All That Remains
The YouTube Theater – Inglwood, Ca
Friday, August 9th, 2024
Review/Pics: Will
Friday night, The Mighty Megadeth rolled into town with special guests Mudvayne and All That Remains on the “Destroy All Enemies” Tour.
All That Remains
Kicking off the night for a short, but intense, 30 minute set were Massachusetts Metalcore band, All That Remains. This was my second time catching the band and even though they only played 7 songs, each one packed a punch.
Phil Labonte – lead vocals
Matt Deis – bass
Mike Martin – rhythm guitar
Jason Richardson – lead guitar
Anthony Barone – drums
Vocalist, Phil Labonte sings with a mixture of guttural and clean vocals and although it’s not usually my thing, I really dig this band. It was a tight set that thrashed out their most popular songs for the early arrivers (Who are not always a guaranteed thing for a Friday night battling the 405 L.A. traffic)
Mudvayne
My jealousy finally came to and end! I admittedly am not a huge Mudvayne aficionado, but seeing my photographer friends over the years shoot this band and always coming away with amazing shots of this visually entertaining band always provoked my little green monster. But alas, the not shooting Mudvayne drought has ended and they did not disappoint.
Chad Gray – lead vocals
Greg Tribbett – lead guitar
Matthew McDonough – drums, keyboards
Ryan Martinie – bass
Marcus Rafferty – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
What a damn fun band! As intimidating as lead vocalist, Chad Gray may be in his crusty faced, bloody makeup, the dude seems like a sweetheart. Such a fan-friendly guy who is down fist bumping and smiling with the fans (And photogs).
Chad spent some time talking about growing up and not having a true direction. He couldn’t find it in religion and found that the only thing that provided him with a compass was his love for Heavy Metal. Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Korn and others are who gave him a purpose and to this day, they haven’t let him down. The cheers from the crowd were a great reminder that even in these increasingly divisive times, there are still opportunities to find common ground. Music has and always will be that for me and many others.
Each member has their own persona, but bassist Ryan Martinie is definitely a stand-out with his devilish look and frantic, all-over-the-stage energy.
Even though I had to dig around YouTube pre-show to get a flavor of what Mudvayne were about, I certainly left with a great appreciation for the band and their music. They certainly are killer live and I’ll certainly be lining up to see AND hear them next time they’re in town.
Megadeth
“Destroy All Enemies” is a really tough name for a tour, especially since Megadeth mainman, Dave Mustaine, seems so at peace with where he is in life. After all, over the course of the last 5 years, he made it through Covid, yet ANOTHER lineup change, was diagnosed and BEAT cancer, and through all of that steamrolled ahead to record their 16th release, “The Sick The Dying…and The Dead!“. And here he is, leading his band onstage to a sold out show at the beautiful, 6000 person capacity, YouTube Theater in Inglewood, CA.
At one point during the night Dave came out solo and just stood, soaking in the adoration from the screaming masses. Nope. No more need to destroy all enemies, Dave. Just do what you came to do…Deliver a blistering, hour and a half set filled with a voracious amount of classic Megadeth thrash. (I will concede that the “Love Thy Neighbor” tour probably would have been a bad alternative choice).
First, the lineup. It’s killer. After the departure of the amazing Kiko Loureiro, you knew that the next man up was going to slay. And slay he does. 37 year old, Finnish guitarist, Teemu Mäntysaari, steps into the lead slot without missing a beat (or a note). He’s been with the band since last September and fills the void for both wannabe guitarists and lusty women alike. The dude is talented and purdy.
Former White Lion bassist, James Lomenzo is back for his second stint with the band. He along with drummer, Dick Verbeuren have a great chemistry that really has them in lockstep, pounding out the efficient ferocity that creates the backbone of the Megadeth crunch.
Of course these melodies and grooves were all created by the man who’s speed, intensity, driving melodies and relentless drive, created a band that proudly stands shoulder to shoulder with the thrash giants of “The Big 4“.
Dave Mustaine – guitars, lead vocals
James LoMenzo – bass, backing vocals
Dirk Verbeuren – drums
Teemu Mäntysaari – guitars, backing vocals
The setlist on this tour has varied per show and I’d say that the YouTube Theater fans had the best collection of songs yet! Back in the set were “In My Darkest Hour“, “The Conjuring” and for the first time in 20 years, the band played “Liar” from the amazing “So Far, So Good…So What!“.
The rest of the set was heavy on fan favorites including heavier doses from “Countdown To Extinction“, “Rust In Peace” and “Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?” which had a perpetual pit circling the back of the GA area from start to finish.
Due to demand and the speed at which their first show sold out, the band will be back in town next Thursday for a second YouTube Theater Show which this writer has a ticket for and can not WAIT to see what surprises the band has up their sleeve next time.
The Destroy All Enemies Tour is just kicking off and runs through the end of September. I encourage anyone on the fence to pull the trigger and grab a ticket to catch one of the best speed metal bands to ever do it.
*I also want to give a shout out to “Liz”. Liz asked me about set times and we ended up having a quick chat. Liz is 39 years old, the daughter of a pastor and this was her FIRST Concert! Liz proving that you’re never too young or old to start loving metal!
Related Links:
Megadeth
Mudvayne
All That Remains
