Dystopia by the Falls

On Tuesday, March 15^th, Megadeth returned to the Rapids Theater in Niagara Falls, NY. Coming back just a few short years after their Countdown To Extinction anniversary tour, Megadeth was looking to top their previous performance at the Rapids. This time Megadeth was touring behind their recent release Dystopia, which was received quite well and has been considered their best release since Countdown To Extinction. Joining Megadeth on their Dystopia Tour were none other than, Suicidal Tendencies, Children Of Bodom and Havok.

David Ellefson (photo Mark McGauley)

Fans with tickets to the show knew that they were going to be part of something incredible on Tuesday. The event was marked as sold out weeks before Megadeth even started the tour down in Texas. Starting the evening just prior to 7PM, Havok took the stage to an already crowded venue. Judging based off their stage presence, the guys in Havok definitely knew this was their shot to steal some Megadeth fans. With only a short set, Havok had to work fast and rip through their 6 songs listed for the evening. Although it was a short set for them, Havok proved to the crowd they were worthy of being on such an awesome bill. This tour will definitely get Havok the exposure they need and help them break through to that next level.

Alexi Laiho (photo Mark McGauley)

Next up for the night was none other than the melodic death metal guys from Finland, Children Of Bodom. Lead by vocalist/guitarist Alexi Laiho, Bodom has returned to the road behind their latest album, I Worship Chaos. Opening their set with two tracks from their album Are You Dead Yet?, the Rapids Theater knew Bodom meant business. Tracks “Are You Dead Yet?” and “In Your Face” packed a punch and the floor was one big mosh pit. It was clear that Children Of Bodom had plenty of their own fans there supporting them. Bodom kept their set as balanced as they could, mixing the other six songs they had between albums, Hatebreeder, I Worship Chaos, Follow The Reaper and Hate Crew Deathroll. Unfortunately for Bodom, it didn’t seem like 8 songs was enough for them with the extensive catalog that they have. Bodom could have definitely played for longer but had to keep things short for the other bands on the lineup.

Mike Muir (photo Mark McGauley)

After Bodom, the “ST” chant had started for none other than Suicidal Tendencies. Lead by vocalist Mike Muir who is the only original member left, Suicidal Tendencies stole the crowd. Mike Muir is one of the best live performers out there still and it is always fun watching him on stage. Muir rarely stops moving and he makes sure the crowd isn’t stopping either. The rest of ST stayed true to the music and for anyone who didn’t know who Suicidal Tendencies were, they wouldn’t have known if they were original members or not. What some people did know was that the drummer for Suicidal was the legendary Dave Lombardo. Lombardo, who of course is best known for being the original drummer of Slayer, seemed to really enjoy filling in for ST. The band played hits such as “You Can’t Bring Me Down”, “Subliminal” and “Cyco Vision”. The only downfall of the set was the fact that the band decided to skip out on songs such as “Institutionalized” and “Nobody Hears”. Even though they skipped out on some fan favorites, the crowd absolutely loved Suicidal. The amount of flip up hats in the crowd with Suicidal embroidered under the brim proved that.

Once Suicidal left the stage, there was a long set change to get things ready for Megadeth. During this time, fans weren’t leaving their spots on the floor. The Rapids Theater was packed to capacity or possibly over capacity. The only space left in the theater was in the back behind the bar by the exit doors. Every other spot inside was occupied, including the balcony. Because of the packed house, fans just waited eagerly for Megadeth to take the stage.

Chris Adler (photo Mark McGauley)

The time between sets was justified after seeing the show Megadeth had in store for its fans. The band came on stage after an awesome video opening on the LED screen behind the drum kit. Things started off fast with “Hangar 18” opening the set. From the start, it was apparent that Megadeth was once again rejuvenated with their recent lineup change. With new blood in the band, Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson once again had a stacked lineup. Joining Mustaine and Ellefson in Megadeth are guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Chris Adler. Kiko came from the band Angra and is said to be the best guitar player Dave Mustaine has worked with. As for drum duties, everyone knows Chris Adler as the drummer for Lamb of God. Megadeth sounded as tight as ever and continue to prove their thrash metal dominance. For the first time on tour, Megadeth preformed 5 songs off of their newest album Dystopia. The Rapids Theater was treated to the live debut of “Post American World” in which the crowd responded with a roar. Completing the songs from Dystopia were, “The Threat Is Real”, “Dystopia”, “Fatal Illusion” and “Poisonous Shadows”. The fan response to this was nothing but positive. Often times after new album releases, bands will only play a few songs off that album and the rest will never see the live stage. Fortunately for Niagara Falls, Megadeth had enough time to warm up on tour and practice the new material prior to their stop at Rapids. For instance, the first couple of stops on the tour only got to see 1 or 2 new tracks. Since Dystopia was such a great album, fans want to hear those tracks live on this tour. Rounding out the night were classics such as “Peace Sells”, “Symphony of Destruction” and “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due”. The 17-song setlist brought the show well past 11PM and fans were still left wanting more.

Anyone who missed out on Megadeth’s Niagara Falls stop can catch them this summer on the festival circuit. They’re hitting many festivals including Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion, Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville and New York’s very own Rock N’ Derby. For more information on Megadeth, visit their website http://www.megadeth.com/

MARK MCGAULEY PHOTO GALLERY