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Slayer and Megadeth, 2 of the infamous Big 4 on the same bill promised to be a magical night for Adelaide fans of the thrashier side of metal. Unfortunately it was not to be with Slayer pulling out at the last minute due to Tom Araya suffering from laryngitis. As I arrived to the venue I was met by droves of disgruntled Slayer shirted punters returning to their cars after receiving a refund. Probably the bitterest pill to swallow was the fact they had gone straight to Perth and planned to continue the tour after just missing us and are even going back to Sydney to play more shows there. However Dave’s promise to play a full Megadeth show and the chance that Kerry King might join them on stage had those that hung around pumped with anticipation.

Adelaides own, Double Dragon opened the night to a raucous reception. They fired through a short sharp set and by the time they stepped off stage had the growing crowd raring to go.

Then it was time for the newly appointed headliners Megadeth to hit the stage. The lights went out, the helicopter and sirens started up and one by one Shaun, James, Chris and lastly Dave appeared out of the darkness to a massive cheer. Although, after refunds were giving, the venue was only about half full, the noise from the crowd was incredible. Without a word they leaped into an opening bracket comprising of Set the World Afire, Wake Up Dead, Hanger 18 and Skin of my Teeth. Dave, instantly showing why he is one of the premier metal guitarists to ever grace this earth. The way he effortlessly riffs with such speed has to be seen to be believed.

Dave and his men powered through an impressive set, highlights including She Wolf, In My Darkest and Washington Is Next. Then Dave announced that the next song was the one that he invited Kerry King to join them on. The crowd waited with baited breath to see if the Slayer madman would appear from behind the Marshall stacks, but alas it was not to be and Rattlehead was played by the current members.

Megadeth finished the night with a run of hits including Symphony of Destruction, Mechanix and Peace Sells. They returned to the stage to play an instrumental version of a track of their new record, before finishing the night with Holy Wars.

Megadeth were amazing, but you couldn’t help but wonder how great it would have been if instead of filling out we were rushing the stage as Slayer kicked into God Hates Us All or some other menacing opener.

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE.