LIVE REVIEW + GALLERY: Megadeth, Lamb of God + more in Boston, MA (09.13.21)
Dave Mustaine of Megadeth celebrated his 60th birthday in Boston, MA with 5,200 of his closest friends. Mustaine’s band is currently playing in the closing slot of the much anticipated Metal Tour of the Year which rolled into New England earlier this week. During Monday’s set, the crowd serenaded Mustaine multiple times with “Happy Birthday to You” and Mustaine’s bandmates surprised him at the end of the show by playing taped messages from the likes of Slash, Nikki Sixx, Ice-T and more on the video boards behind him. At the end he thanked the crowd for being a part of the celebration and a part of his life and promised that the “next era of Megadeth will be even better than the former part” before taking a bow and heading off stage.
As for the performance aspect of the night, Mustaine and Megadeth are out on tour without founding bassist David Ellefson for the first time since 2010. James LoMenzo who did bass duties from 2006 – 2010 has rejoined the group for the current run. Though Ellefson was not on hand, the set was made up entirely from material written during his time in the band, primarily during his first stint from 1983-2002. LoMenzo did an exceptional job throughout the night, including on the iconic bass line to “Peace Sells…” The set was mostly a nostalgic one as save for three songs from 2016’s Dystopia, the rest of the songs were from material released in the early 90’s,
Prior to Megadeth’s set it was Richmond, VA’s Lamb of God that had the stage, their set was filled with frequent blasts of pyrotechnics, begining with the aptly named “Walk With Me in Hell.” Frontman Randy Blythe was a bundle of energy as always, running around the stage and jumping from the drum riser while revving up the crowd. Contrary to Megadeth’s set, Lamb of God’s setlist was made up of material from throughout their entire 22 year tenure.
Trivium was the second band on the bill, and the lone band on the tour releasing a record this year. Shortly before the tour began, they announced their tenth studio album In the Court of the Dragon. They kicked off their set with the title track from the forthcoming album, before visiting some of their earlier works.
New England natives Hatebreed opened the night, making sure to acknowledge some of their local influences. Hatebreed formed in Bridgeport, CT back in 1994 and have been a staple in the New England hardcore scene ever since.
Photos: Megadeth, Lamb of God, Trivium, and Hatebreed at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston, MA on September 13th, 2021:
