Megadeth // Live @ Riverbend Music Center // 9.17.24 -

Article and Photos: Linda Carlson

Cincinnati, OH – Thrash metal! There’s nothing quite like it, and when one of the genre’s “Big Four” bands (we all know them – Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer) comes to town, fans are in for a metal feast. This was no exception.

Megadeth is headlining the Destroy All Enemies Tour, accompanied by Mudvayne and All That Remains. It’s been an aggressive tour schedule, with 35 stops across the USA in August and September.

The evening started with All That Remains, the metal band (don’t say “metalcore”!) from Springfield, Massachusetts. Vocalist and founding member Phil Labonte lit the stage, moving adeptly and purposefully throughout the performance. Notably, the band played music from their upcoming, self-labeled album, the first since the death of guitarist Oli Herbert in 2018, including “Let You Go” and “Divine.”

Next, fans were in for a special treat, one that only Mudvayne, with dynamic frontman Chad Gray, could provide. There’s something about the iconic eccentric makeup (a bullet to the forehead) and costuming that add elements of the bizarre to the band’s savage metal performance. Marcus Rafferty performed in lieu of guitarist Greg Tribbett, who announced just the day before that he was stepping away from the tour to attend to family matters.

Gray is a conversationalist onstage. He talks to the crowd, sharing bits of life experience and tons of appreciation. He regards a Mudvayne performance as “heavy metal psychotherapy,” where fans leave their problems in the parking lot and engage in the healing of a metal meltdown. As part of the therapy session on this night, Gray shared some of his childhood struggles, finding a life-altering rescue when handed a ticket to a Motley Crew concert, which opened the door to a progression of bands, including Korn, Megadeth, Slayer, Pantera, and others. Through heavy metal, Gray found purpose and a sense of salvation.

The night’s Mudvayne therapy session was a full throttle one. The crowd went wild when Gray asked, provocatively, Cincinnati, are you HAPPY?” as the lead-in for “Happy?” The band closed with their signature hit, “Dig.”

To no one’s surprise, headliner Megadeth put on a gripping and heart thumping thrash metal performance. Prior to the start of the show, a hideously masked creature slowly wheeled a cart of “dead bodies” across the stage to the echoing chants of “Bring Out Your Dead!” pulsating through the speakers. After the cart left the stage, the curtain dropped and the raging performance thundered on.

Frontman Dave Mustaine can rip the guitar in unfathomable ways, riffing with intensity yet making it look so easy. Mustaine mentioned suffering a bout of bronchitis, but pulled off a full show without apparent difficulty. This is no surprise, considering that his recent battle with throat cancer did not deter him. He is a fighter, and a dedicated musician and performer.

The evening’s performance focused primarily on the music, and less on stage production. The uncluttered expansive Riverbend stage allowed band members to move freely, with Teemu Mäntysaari (guitar) and James Lomenzo (bass) getting their steps in. There were explosive solos throughout the show, with Mustaine frequently dropping to the rear of the stage to allow Mäntysaari and Lomenzo to step forward into the spotlight. Dirk Verbeuren (drums) was also on point.