- CURRENTLY RECOMMENDED METAL
- Reviews by Dr. Metal
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- MEGADETH – RUDE AWAKENING (LIVE DVD)
- 2002 Sanctuary
This DVD is close to the show we saw back in October, 2001. (Click HERE to see pics and read a review of that show.) It almost captures the energy and drive of the performance we saw, and it's probably the same show you saw if you caught them on the WORLD NEEDS A HERO tour. I have no idea where this show was recorded. There is no mention of where it was recorded in the notes, and unless I wasn't paying attention (it's possible) they didn't say what city it was during the show. If I had to guess, I'd say it was out west near the band's home. There's some pretty good camerawork on the DVD. Each song seems to be captured individually and then pasted into one seamless show. Thankfully, there aren't too many quick cuts back and forth. The camera pans around the stage alot, and gives the viewer a chance to see what's going on. There are some camera effects and filters applied here and there, but this DVD is very professional. Almost too professional. I wish they had shown more of drummer Jimmy DeGrasso. I like to watch the drummer play, and apart from his short solo, you really only see him briefly as he pounds a drum or crashes a symbol. But Jimmy is just plain awesome and this DVD showcases his talent. He's played so many different styles of Metal, and he really can do it all! The same can be said of Al Pitrelli, a legendary guitarist who has played a plethora of styles in a multitude of bands. (Who probably wishes he hadn't left Savatage now.) David Ellefson is once again the important anchor of the band, and Dave Mustaine is well...Dave. I've seen Megadeth on their last three tours and I think this is their strongest lineup. I was a Nick Menza fan, but Jimmy is also a solid drummer.
This DVD really is a guitar-lover's dream. There's a lot of riffs to enjoy and solos galore. All the crowd interaction has been edited out from between the songs, which was a slight disappointment, but sometimes that's what you have to do to fit everything on the DVD I guess. The band performs a whopping 24 songs; at least one from every album (except RISK). It's an enjoyable set, but they left out some songs that we saw them perform last year, like "Recipe For Hate...Warhorse," "Crush 'Em," "Skin O' My Teeth" and "Moto Psycho." There is some interesting bonus material worth checking out, too: Bonus concert footage, Studio footage, and an interview that has some funny comments. Note: Five songs listed in the track listing are allotted to an 'Underground Live Show' section that is in black and white. I'm not sure what the reason for this is, but the audio and video are below the quality of the main concert. A good example of this is Dave Mustaine's vocals in "Train of Consequences"...pretty funny.
I think this DVD belongs in every Megadeth fan's collection. My only real complaint about RUDE AWAKENING is that the sound is too polished and doesn't really have a gritty 'live' feel to it. I certainly don't see myself buying this on CD. It's just too close in sound to the original recordings, believe it or not. I have a feeling this won't be Megadeth's swan song and the band will be back before you know it.
DISCOGRAPHY:
- KILLING IS MY BUSINESS...AND BUSINESS IS GOOD! (1985) Combat
- PEACE SELLS...BUT WHO'S BUYING? (1986) Capitol
- SO FAR, SO GOOD...SO WHAT! (1988) Capitol
- RUST IN PEACE (1990) Capitol
- COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION (1992) Capitol
- YOUTHANASIA (1994) Capitol
- HIDDEN TREASURES (1995) Capitol
- CRYPTIC WRITINGS (1997) Capitol
- RISK (1999) Capitol
- CAPITOL PUNISHMENT- THE MEGADETH YEARS (2000) Capitol
- THE WORLD NEEDS A HERO (2001) Sanctuary
- KILLING IS MY BUSINESS (DELUXE EDITION) (2002) Sanctuary
- RUDE AWAKENING (LIVE) (2002) Sanctuary
- PEACE SELLS...BUT WHO'S BUYING? (1986) Capitol