MEGADETH Production Assistant/Band Assistant, Rikki Cameron, checks in from Cork, Ireland:

"Checking in from a big top tent in Cork, Ireland. We're kicking off their Live At The Marquee summer concert series here tonight. We apologize for having to make the show time a little earlier than normal, but it's a situation that if we don't play earlier, we won't be able to get our gear to Warsaw in time for the Sonisphere. Can't have that! So a little earlier it has to be.

What a crazy weekend this has turned out to be. Kicked it off in Copenhagen with the DEFTONES (one of MY favorite bands ever) for Copenhell, then headed to Download. We finished that show, packing gear and whatnot, shortly after 1 AM, had to repack ourselves to fly, then headed to the airport at 4 AM. The lucky ones got about 2 hours of sleep before we had to get on the plane and fly to Download. It was a long drive for our gear to get there and it arrived very very shortly before we arrived on stage. To say that we were sweating it would be an understatement! But we got it, we made it happen, on little to no sleep. The show was amazing! I can't even describe what it felt like to look out at that massive crowd and see all the support. The photo taken of the band during the bow sums it up fairly well. It was so great to see so many friends and work with a great festival staff.

That brings us back to Cork. Finally got a little rest, arrived in Cork around 5 PM yesterday. On a last minute whim, myself, several of the crew, Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick went to a local pub to see some Megadeth tribute bands. Not something we normally do, but we thought it might be a fun thing to check it out. The room was so tiny, we barely fit in there. It only held maybe 35-40 people and was very very sweaty! We had a blast! Thank you so much to the locals for their hospitality and respect. Pardon me for not knowing the names of the bands (I don't even think I knew the name of the pub), I spent more than half the night escorting everyone to and from the hotel. But we really enjoyed ourselves, so thank you Cork! Megadeth showing some love back to the locals. :)

On another note, I'd like to point out that I do lurk the message boards, both the general Megadeth board and the MFC board, so thank you to those who have been so supportive. I like reading all the love these guys get from their fans. Megadeth really does have the best fans. We also will be doing a lot of behind the scenes filming coming up, and will be posting short videos in the MFC. Not everyone is fortunate enough to see the other side of the band like I do. All of them have a fantastic sense of humor and we're quite a goofy bunch out here.

For now, it's back to work. We're going to keep on rolling out here and extra special huge thank you to our families, friends, and loved ones at home, who hold down the fort and support us being able to do all of this. The band and the crew couldn't do what we do without all of you. Thank you! We love you and miss you!"

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine is featured in an interview with NME TV, conducted at this year's installment of the Download Festival which took place in Donington Park, UK this past weekend. Check it out below.

Bassist David Ellefson stopped by the Kerrang! Download Podcast to talk about what they had in store for the band's Download set and The Big Four's upcoming gigs. Check out the video below.

Go to this location for the band's complete tour itinerary.

The Big Four: METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX are bringing their historic European tour to the global stage with a concert shown via satellite in High-Definition (HD) in Cineplex Entertainment theatres across the country and BraveWords.com wants to get you into the event for FREE! Yes, for FREE!

BraveWords.com and Cineplex Entertainment are offering up 5 (five) pair of these passes - winners will be chosen at random. Please email contests@bravewords.com for your chance to win! Please put in the subject line - "I Wanna Bang Heads With The Big Four!"

Winners will be chosen at random and your tickets will be shipped to you. Contest closes in 24 hours - June 10!

Contest is open to Canadian residents only, and the passes are general passes - good for any theatres participating in the screening (see here for listings).

These four legendary acts broke out of the underground thrash movement in the 1980's to dominate the metal world, selling millions of records and packing arenas across the globe. Despite huge demand, these musical giants have never shared the same stage until now. The legendary concert from the tour's stop at the Sonisphere Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria will air on Tuesday, June 22nd at more than 65 Cineplex theatres in Canada.

In December 2009, the bands announced that they would be joining forces to take part in the traveling Sonisphere Festival for only seven shows across Europe. Now, this one-time only event from the Sofia show makes it possible for fans far and wide to participate in what otherwise is a very limited run of dates. The HD concert presentation will memorialize the event and the impact will be amplified globally with the cinema screenings, making the dreams of fans around the world over become a reality.

Lars Ulrich of Metallica says of this historic announcement, "Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal's Big Four would not only still be around, be more popular than ever, playing shows together at stadiums all over Europe, and on top of that, coming to a movie theatre near you in High Definition (for better or worse??!!). Bring it on!"

Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian says "Damn, as if this Big Four tour wasn't exciting enough now we get to be on the big screen worldwide! Metal at the movies, two big horns up! It is unbelievably gratifying that this means so much to the metal community around the globe. Get your tix, grab some popcorn and get ready to bang your head!"

Declares Slayer's Kerry King: "I can't believe someone didn't make this happen 15 years ago! The fans finally get what they want. I think it's awesome!"

Says Megadeth's Dave Mustaine: "The magnitude of this event hasn't really sunk in yet, and I am thrilled to know that people around the planet will be able to walk into a movie theatre and experience the greatest line up of heavy metal in the history of the world!"