MEGADETH
The Family Arena || St. Charles, MO || 7 July 2017
Review by Jessica Proctor || Photos by Amber Miller
Last Friday night in St. Charles, MO, in an unassuming venue, a full metal assault was released upon a willing crowd. Of course, I am talking about the Megadeth Dystopia Tour 2017. Having seen Megadeth several times in my life, the chance to witness them with a prog-metal infused line-up including Meshuggah, TesseracT & Lillake was certainly a “do not miss”. 
Megadeth, now 35 years strong, have brought a renewed call-to-arms to metal fans old and new on this first tour post-Grammy win for Dystopia. Megadeth hit the stage right on time, kicking the anxious horde into overdrive, pounding out “Hangar 18”.
Some love to hate and others hate to love Mustaine, but he seemed as stripped down and open as the stage itself, joking about forgetting lyrics and humbly sharing the stage with his fellow axe men as he growled and sneered through the vast catalogue. The playing was fast, technical, and furious in the razor-sharp manner we have come to expect from the Mega-Camp. 
The setlist covered 7 albums, including Dystopia, Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?, Rust In Peace, Countdown to Extinction, So Far, So Good… So What!, Youthanasia & Cryptic Writings. Of the 17 songs played, including the encore, the majority of the tracks were from Rust In Peace.
Visually the setlist was paired with an amazing array of illumination in comic book style and realism that dramatically emphasized the dynamics of the music. Vic Rattlehead made his obligatory appearance, with Robo-Vic at his side, stalking the stage and pointing out to the crowd, being a menace. 
For the encore, we were told the now infamous story of the near riot causing statement yelled to the crowd in Northern Ireland that lead to the writing of “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due”. As to be expected, in Dave Mustaine fashion, there was a ticketholder heckled during this story time, to the crowd’s enjoyment.
Walking away from this show, us long-time Megadeth fans feel a sense of accomplishment. I think this tour, specifically, feels like it could be called Megadeth… The Recognition Due.
Photos by Amber Miller – First 3 and Out
Megadeth
