Concert Review: Megadeth in New York

American thrash metal icons Megadeth returned to Long Island’s Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater on September 14, 2024 during its Destroy All Enemies U.S. tour. This was the band’s fifth show at the Wantagh, New York venue.

Megadeth is joined by All That Remains and Mudvayne on the Destroy All Enemies tour. The run across the country began in Arkansas on August 2 and will conclude in Nashville on September 28. Get your tickets below.

The lone constant member of Megadeth is founder and main-man Dave Mustaine. Although his supporting cast changes relatively often, Mustaine consistently recruits top-end talent to join him in the studio and on the road. The band’s current lineup consists of veteran bassist James LoMenzo (who played with Megadeth from 2006-2010 before returning in 2021), drummer Dirk Verbeuren, and recent addition guitar virtuoso Teemu Mantysaari.

Megadeth toured the U.S. in support of its most recent album The Sick, The Dying…and the Dead! in 2022 and continued to feature material from that record during their 2023 Crush the World tour and current 2024 trek. The band opened its ninety minute performance with the title track of the most recent of its sixteen LP before revisiting The World Needs a Hero 'Dread and the Fugitive Mind', which had not been played live for approximately twenty years until this decade. ‘Deth then rolled through 'Angry Again,' 'Skin o’ My Teeth,' and 'Hangar 18' before playing the title song of their fifteenth studio record Dystopia.

Megadeth continued to lean heavily on their Countdown to Extinction material with 'Sweating Bullets' and the album’s title track, before performing 'Washington is Next!' from United Abominations. 'Washington…' had not been performed since 2009 and was a welcome addition to the setlist during this tour.

The band followed with a pair of classics – 'Trust' and 'Tornado of Souls' – before the second and final The Sick, The Dying… track 'We’ll Be Back.' 'Symphony of Destruction' was next up, before a rousing rendition of 'Mechanix' from Megadeth’s debut record Killing is My Business…and Business is Good! The band closed the main set with 'Peace Sells' - featuring a guest appearance by Megadeth "mascot" Vic Rattlehead - before a fitting one song encore of 'Holy Wars…The Punishment Due.'

When Mantysaari joined the band, Mustaine offered high praise of the talented guitarist; he met those heightened expectations throughout the show, effortlessly handling some of the most technical guitar solo sections in the genre and teaming with Mustaine in the Marty Friedman role. The rhythm section of veterans LoMenzo and Verbeuren was solid.