Review: Megadeth Preaches To The Faithful At The Fillmore Philadelphia
Near the front of the crowd at The Fillmore Philadelphia on Tuesday night, a young child sat perched on the shoulders of a much older adult. With shaggy brown hair and an oversized black t-shirt, his tiny hand fixed in a devil-horned hand gesture outstretched toward the stage. Affixed to his face was a look of pure joy.
It was excellent example of the generational diversity of those gathered to hear Dave Mustaine and Megadeth that night. Over thirty years of music has collected quite a few fans along the way, from the obvious long-haired enthusiasts to the less likely children and twenty-something women dancing frantically on the Fillmore floor.
The barrage of metal music and well-worn words of warning about society doesn't seem like the most obvious of uniters, but Megadeth has aged into one of the most familiar and fun outfits in rock. Most of the hits like "Sweating Bullets" and "Symphony Of Destruction" have been headbanged to for decades, and they sit nicely beside the new material from last year's Grammy award winning Dystopia album.
Mustaine paced the stage in front of a large drum riser and an even larger video screen of blaring images. Beneath a swirling mop of hair he led the passionate crowd through an hour and a half tour of the band's music. Megadeth's mix of melody and mathematics has earned them a set of songs that are ferocious, but prime for a sing-a-long.
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The dangerous edges may have smoothed over time for Megadeth, but what remains is a solid show and a lasting legacy with one of rock's most accomplished bands.
For more from Megadeth, check out our interview with Dave Mustaine from last year .
