Megadeth: Farewell, But Never Goodbye

3 bands. Nostalgia on a whole other level. Saying goodbye to a legend. I can’t recall the last time a show carried this kind of emotional weight. Last night at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, we said our final farewell to Thrash legends Megadeth. They’re out on their world tour promoting their final album, aptly titled Megadeth. While Dave would tell us the title came out of sheer laziness during their set, I feel like it’s a title that suits the 42 year career. No other title could aptly fit the keystone album of a band with this kind of genre defining history. 

The night blasted open with Thrash legends Exodus. Chaos erupted as they tore into 3111, the first single from the upcoming Goliath album. Straight up Thrash. I saw Exodus perform back in 2023 in Calgary when they opened for Black Label Society. While they always put on an amazing show, this night was different. Rob Dukes was back on vocals. I have always enjoyed Exodus’ music, but to be honest, I prefer Dukes’ vocal styling. With Dukes center stage, I felt a much greater connection to the set. The rest of the set pulled deep cut tracks going back to Bonded by Blood, with choice tracks from albums across their 40-year career. This wasn’t an opening act. This was one of 3 legacy bands playing a shorter co-headlining set. Exodus played tight, loud and with a fury worthy of the Thrash gods moniker. 

If this was your first time seeing Anthrax, or your 20th, we were treated to a journey into sound. Right from Scott Ian’s first pick flex across the strings, Charlie’s first drum beat and Joey Belladona grabbing his half mic stand, horns were in the air. Hair was flying. The entire arena was filled with teenage angst for the 45-minute set. As I mentioned at the start, this entire night was going to be about nostalgia, and Anthrax understood the assignment, opening with a deep cut off 1985’s Spreading the Disease, “A.I.R.” Other than “Fight ’Em ’Til You Can’t” from 2011’s Worship Music, the rest of the set was a trip back to my teens. “Caught in a Mosh,” “I Am the Law,” “Antisocial.” I was suddenly 16 again, staring up at my idols on stage, thrashing away while playing air guitar and dreaming of the day I’d be on that stage with my band. Something that never did come to fruition. When a band can transport you back 30 years, you know they’ve had an impact. While the age of the band can be visually seen in their appearance, their movements on stage were those of a much younger version of Anthrax. Not sure what vitamins or daily regimen these guys are following, but Anthrax is a band I know will be putting on these kinds of high energy performances well into their 70s, meaning we have at least another decade of seeing Scott bounce around on stage!

It’s difficult to write this next section. It’s soul crushing to think this will be the last time we see Megadeth step out on that stage. I’ll be turning 52 this year. I can still remember the day I picked up Rust In Peace. Promptly speeding to a friend’s house, tearing the cellophane wrapper from the cassette and spending the next 41 minutes in awe of this Thrash masterpiece. This album ruined so many others that came both before and after. It was complex in ways we’d never heard. Lyrics that made you think about world events. Guitars that would have us breaking a sweat, just playing air guitar. This was the apex of Thrash metal. An album that would never be matched in intensity, technicality or meaning. I hadn’t experienced that kind of emotion around music until seeing Megadeth take the stage that night. I’ve had a 35 year history with this band, and knowing this is the last time I’ll see them perform hits hard. Being selected to photograph and review this show isn’t something I take lightly. I’m humbled by it. I understand the weight that comes with it.

The set? Built and balanced with the best deep cuts, the commercially successful tracks and promotion of the new album. All played to perfection. I would expect nothing less from Dave. The fans all know the health issues plaguing Dave over the past decade. There were no signs of slowing down in his playing. If there was a sign of any issues, it would be some of the solos normally played by Dave trusted to the highly capable hands of Teemu. The entire set had a technical precision that you don’t hear in live shows. It wasn’t sterile though. It was still every bit a live show. Every note. Every beat. Played as we’ve heard it a thousand times on repeat in our earbuds, only this time shoulder to shoulder in the pit. 

So while we say goodbye with this tour to a band that has been with many of us for over 40 years, we can also see that Thrash as a whole is definitely not dead. To say that Dave is going out on top is an understatement. While we all will have our own ways of mourning the end to Megadeth’s legacy, we’re left with memories of this night. Dave poured his soul into every note and lyric. It felt like a final bow. I was there to witness it, to document it. That isn’t lost on me. We’ll miss you on stage, Dave, but your music will live on for generations to come. Farewell, but never goodbye.