MEGADETH mainman DAVE MUSTAINE has posted the following comment on the band's official forum regarding the March 16th show in St. Petersburg, Russia which lasted only about 30 minutes and was cut short due to Dave having "a severe illness."

"Last night I was getting ready for the concert, and two hours before the show, I started to feel like I had a hernia, or more like I had been hit in the groin.

I told my tour manager that I needed a doctor and that there was no way I was going to get through this on my own; that I thought it might be in my best interest to consider canceling the show.

Now I rarely, if ever cancel shows, and after 45 minutes of prayer with my loving wife and sweating like a dog, I was told to pee for the doctors. They then explained that there was blood in my urine. I was mad; I would say pissed, but that is an obvious pun.

So they gave me an IV, and analgesic, and an anti-inflammatory injection. The next hour is kinda blurry, but I woke up and David (Ellefson) was holding my hand and praying over me, and even Tom (Araya) and Dave (Lombardo) from SLAYER came in to check on me, so I knew I was gonna be ok.

For now.

And to anyone that thinks Tom and I are still opposed, I feel sorry for you.

Anyway, when I woke up, they said that there was so many people outside of the venue still, that they could hold the show for 30 additional minutes, and I said, 'Guys, I am ok, and we can do this.'

Well, the doctors were not amused at all.

But then again, they have never met the likes of one Dave Mustaine.

I told the band that I was 'ok' going on for a few songs, to at least help the fans feel a teensy bit better, and that not to allow the promoter to cancel the show. Please don't get me wrong, the promoter did not want me to cancel, but he also was concerned with my health.

So what was said was this:

Dave Mustaine has become seriously ill (the kidney stone and the blood in my urine), and the doctors are INSISTING he goes to the hospital.

The crowd immediately voiced their displeasure, and right then, perfectly timed, the promoter finished by saying, 'But Dave Mustaine is refusing to go to hospital until he can play a few songs for you. So, stand by, because coming up next, Megadeth!'

The fans lost it.

So we were going to play four songs and someone said, Let's play 'Trust', 'Sweating Bullets', 'Symphony Of Destruction', 'Peace Sells', and the 'Holy Wars' reprise, and I said, We have to play 'A Tout Le Monde', and let's put that in before 'Sweating' and if I can't do it, then I will just skip it, and we can just go to 'Symphony'.

Well, it turns out that all of my friends were praying for me and when the lights went out the audience went off!

I ended up playing all six songs after all, and I truly believe it was the prayer that got that stone out of me.

I feel 95.7% better today, and I don't want anyone else to worry. I am a tough old skunk, and so I am taking this time to explain in more detail than I normally would about a physical matter.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for me, and for everyone that continues to pray for me.

And now, I have a concert I must go to. God bless you all, and now everyone who prayed for me, please pray for Jeff Hanneman of Slayer."

EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt has temporarily replaced Jeff Hanneman in Slayer as he recovers from surgery after an arm infection due to a spider bite.