'Rust in Peace' 20th anniversary tour part two:

Megadeth's last rites in Baltimore?

Read the Rust in Peace 20th Anniversary tour part one here

MEGADETH (view live photos)

March 17, 2010
Rams Head Live
Baltimore, Md.

By JEFF MAKI

Megadeth's originally scheduled show in Baltimore on March 16, a stop on their Rust in Peace 20th anniversary tour, didn't end well. The band was forced to pull off the stage and end the show after just three songs due to poor sound and technical difficulties. The sold-out crowd was, of course, pissed off and on the verge of boiling over, but cooler heads prevailed in the end. After all, was there anything anyone could have done to make things better? Nope.

Well, in a surprising turn of events, the show was rescheduled at Rams Head Live the very next night, March 17, St. Patrick's Day. Any ticketholder from the previous night could present their ID and get their ticket for this makeup show.

This was a unique show. No opening bands. Exodus and Testament were already out of Baltimore. An early start (8 p.m.), something unheard of in rock 'n' roll (we were home shortly after 11 p.m.). And lots of familiar faces from the night before. I'd venture a guess that about 85 percent of the fans from the sold-out original show returned.

Megadeth took the stage to loud applause about 8:15. After all the stress, disappointment and difficulties of the previous night, as soon as the first drum roll and guitar riffs kicked in for surprise opener "Skin o' My Teeth," the place registered mass approval. It was one collective sigh of relief and a massive dark cloud had suddenly evaporated. Megadeth was here. Again. Except this time they didn't sound like utter shit. And it was inevitable that they were gonna kick our asses.

"It's been one hell of a 48 hours," Mustaine said, adding his reason for playing this show: "I'm one of the few people who actually cares about his fans."

After the classic "In My Darkest Hour" and another change-up from the previous night, "She-Wolf," the band played Rust in Peace from start to finish. I'm not some new-school thrasher or trend-hopper. Rust in Peace is my favorite album of all time. I played the tape (YES, the tape) hundreds times back in the early '90s. I was sure it was going to break or wear out. And I still listen to it (on CD) on a semi-regular basis.

As they rolled through the album, playing many songs I'd never heard performed live, I kept thinking how amazing it was that Mustaine was playing the album, the riffs, the solos and performing the vocals like a carbon-copy of an album released 20 years ago. He and guitarist Chris Broderick played the solos note for note and sounded amazing. Dave's vocals were kind of hard to hear at times, but this is nothing new for Megadeth live.

There were no breaks between songs. And before I knew it they were all the way to "Dawn Patrol," with returning longtime member Dave Ellefson center stage playing that unmistakable bass line. The dueling guitar solos between Mustaine and Broderick on "Hangar 18" were unbelievable. The other standouts were "Five Magics," "Tornado of Souls" and, of course, "Holy Wars ... The Punishment Due." They reprised the second half of "Holy Wars " to end the set, with a shirtless Dave Mustaine, wearing his bullet belt, looking like he had arrived straight from the music video.

After the Rust in Peace set, they played "Headcrusher" from their 2009 release Endgame, followed by "Trust," a sinister vocal performance by Mustaine on "Symphony of Destruction" and "Peace Sells."

Hearing the Rust in Peace album live was truly a once in a lifetime experience. I guess we owe some sort of thanks to Slayer for having to postpone the American Carnage tour with Megadeth, or this tour may have never happened.

I was disappointed with what unfolded during the first attempt at the show. But you have to hand it to Dave Mustaine, Megadeth and Rams Head Live for jumping all over this, resolving the situation and making the show happen so quickly. There were a lot of happy Megadeth fans as a result. I was one of the happiest.

Megadeth setlist: Skin o' My Teeth, In My Darkest Hour, She-Wolf, Holy Wars ... The Punishment Due, Hangar 18, Take No Prisoners, Five Magics, Poison Was the Cure, Lucretia, Tornado of Souls, Dawn Patrol, Rust in Peace ... Polaris, Headcrusher, Trust, Symphony of Destruction, Peace Sells, Holy Wars ... The Punishment Due (Reprise)