Megadeth gives fans break
from recent world tensions
 By
Kurt Esposito
Assistant Campus Editor
Dave Mustaine said that before Sept. 11 all the
band Megadeth wanted to do when performing live was to make sure the
audience got thrashed.
But now, with all the tension and fear in the country,
Mustaine feels their shows provide a temporary release for their fans
— a place where they can forget about the world's problem for a
little bit.
"I myself stand on stage and see a lot of pain
in the faces," said Mustaine, Megadeth's frontman. "
Megadeth and opening act Iced Earth will perform
at 8 Saturday night at the Riehle Brothers Tavern, 2270 Concord Road
in Lafayette.
Mustaine said he does not want to pretend to be
somebody who knows everything that's going on. He said everyone just
needs someone they can trust to tell them that everything is OK.
"I'm that. I don't know how I got that authority
and position in people's lives. A lot of fans just turn to me in that
big brother role," he said.
He said the band will not help anybody get a job
or girlfriend, but it will be there for people.
He said the band has always had a relationship
with its fans that's different from other bands. Most people are not
familiar with them, yet the band has had numerous platinum and double
platinum albums. Mustaine said this is because most of the fans are
underground.
He said the fans can count on them because they
know Megadeth is going to be consistent.
Megadeth released its recent album, "The World
Needs A Hero," in May. The cover features the band's pseudo-mascot,
Vic Rattlehead, crawling out of Mustaine's chest. Mustaine said it symbolizes
the return of Rattlehead, who has been suppressed since the band's previous
label suggested not using him.
This is Megadeth's first album with Sanctuary Records,
who suggested putting Rattlehead back on the cover.
The new album is also a return to the band's earlier
sound. The bands previous two albums — "Risk" and "Cryptic Writings"
— were more radio-friendly and not received too well by the hardcore
fans. Mustaine said there is nothing wrong with those albums, but the
band returned to its earlier sound because it is what the fans wanted.
"(It's) more along the lines of what we're famous
for," he said. "We're going to give the people what they want. Of course,
we're going to write music that makes us happy. That's the most important
thing. If we're not happy with writing it were going to hate playing
it."
He said this music says to the fans, "We can still
play this stuff, so knock it off."
The band is also listening when the fans request
what songs they want to hear during concerts. On the band's Web site
fans can vote for the 20 songs they want to hear during the show. The
songs that receive the most votes will become the set list.
Tom Riehle, owner of Riehle Brothers Tavern, said
about 150 tickets are still available for Saturday's show. They can
be purchased for $25 at Riehle Brothers Tavern.
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