Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Living in Peru
Kenneth Bengtsson

Megadeth rocked Peru last night, and Peru rocked with Megadeth at the Peruvian concert of their United Abominations tour across South America. The banner held up by the band on stage, given to them by members of the audience, pretty much said it all: “Peru is MEGADETH!”

The band gave without a doubt the best performance, out of many, that I have been privileged to witness in Peru: A legendary performance that simply does not fit into a regular 5-star scale. So instead I will give them 5 megastars and add to the top of that another star for charismatic front figure Dave Mustaine’s brilliant communication with the audience in Spanish, one more for the band actually performing a song in Spanish, one for the die-megahard Peruvian fans head banging with the band, and two stars additionally for the Peruvian flag hanging from Dave Mustaine’s microphone during most of the act.

The band showed up in their new line-up, who recently triumphed at the annual Gigantour across North America and the UK, with Dave Mustaine (guitar, vocal), James Lomenzo (bass), Shawn Drover (drums) and new band member Chris Broderick (guitar), and the set list was a well-balanced mix of both new and old material, showing that Megadeth not only cares about promoting their latest album United Abominations, but also is out there to rock with their fans and to give their audience value for money. And so they did!

Megadeth plays with energy, drive and want-to-play like they were a bunch of 18-year old kids just playing for pure joy, but with the experience and convincing style mastered only by the very best of seasoned megastars. How they get the energy after a 25-year megacareer is an amazement as much as it is an inspiration, and I myself could not help feeling what it was like to be 18-years old again and standing in small rehearsal rooms with Megadeth posters on the wall, trying to imitate the style and sound of my idols. And from the looks and sounds of the mixed crowd attending last night’s concert, I am sure we all felt the same.

As Megadeth left the stage, they repeatedly promised to come back. I am sure they will, as they definitely enjoyed playing here, and the hug and “thank you” I received last night from Dave Mustaine at their hotel after the concert, was for all of Peru. Dave, we are sending you one back – Hasta luego Megadeth, lo más pronto posible!

Check out our gallery for pictures of Megadeth in Peru