MEGADETH Frontman DAVE MUSTAINE On METALLICA's JAMES HETFIELD - "I've Always Thought He Was A Really Talented Guitarist"
September 23, 2023, a year ago
In celebration of 2023 marking the 40th Anniversary of Megadeth's formation, frontman / founder Dave Mustaine is featured in the latest issue of Metal Hammer. During the interview, Mustaine draws parallels between his experiences trying to find a singer and James Hetfield ultimately solidifying his position as Metallica's rhythm guitarist, claiming that, like himself, Hetfield mainly ended up playing guitar because Metallica couldn't find anyone else up to the task.
Mustaine: "When I was in Metallica, I was kind of playing at Lars (Ulrich)'s level, because Lars was still learning to play drums back then. But watching James play guitar for the first time was kind of shocking, because I didn’t know he knew how to play guitar. We just got fed up one day of auditioning guitar players, just like I did with singers. And he picked up this guitar and started playing, and inside I’m going, 'Get the fuck out of here. How can you possibly be satisfied being a singer when you play like that? Why not be both?' I’ve always thought he was a really talented guitarist."
Megadeth performed at the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, PA on September 16th. YouTube used Jim Powers has shared video of the entire show. Check it out below.
Setlist:
"Hangar 18"
"Dread And The Fugitive Mind"
"Wake Up Dead"
"In My Darkest Hour"
"Sweating Bullets"
"Angry Again"
"We'll Be Back"
"The Conjuring"
"Dystopia"
"A Tout Le Monde"
"Trust"
"Tornado Of Souls"
"Symphony Of Destruction"
"Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?"
"Holy Wars... The Punishment Due"
Megadeth recently announced guitarist Kiko Loureiro will miss the Crush The World North American tour dates due to the “difficult challenges” from being a dad that “works away from home.”
Megadeth's upcoming North American dates are listed below:
September
23 - Plymouth Motor Speedway - Plymouth, IN
27 - Bloomington, IL - Grossinger Motors Arena
29 - Fargo, ND - Scheels Arena
30 - Prior Lake, MN - Mystic Lake Casino
October
3 - Pocatello, ID - Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheatre
5 - Reno, NV - Theatre At The Grand Sierra Resort
6 - Sacramento, CA - Aftershock
Find Megadeth's complete tour itinerary here.