The Big Four Live

Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth & Anthrax all on the same stage it would be pretty hard for that to be bad in any way. I wonder how much discussion went into deciding the order of play? We all know there's been a huge rivalry between Metallica & Megadeth for a long time. Ulrich and Mustaine seemed friendly with each other in the behind the scenes documentary, but I can't help wonder if that's why they were separated by Slayer. If you go by record sales it should be Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax (as far as I can tell). Personally I've always preferred Megadeth at least on the studio albums though I have to admit (based on videos) that Metallica seem to put on a better live show. I've seen Megadeth live once, but that was way back in 1995 and I don't remember the details. I've never managed to catch Metallica yet. If you look at my Last.fm play count chart it shows Megadeth at 4, Slayer at 9, Metallica at 14 and Anthrax at 31. So that would be my order. I was actually a little surprised at Metallica being that low. Still I've never actually considered them the big four anyway as I discovered Anthrax much later in my life than the other three.

The concert itself looks and sounds great on bluray (but that's to be expected). First band on stage is Anthrax. I know their songs but of the four they're the band I know the least of the background story. They get a warm welcome from the crowd considering how early in the day it will have been. They put on a great show and look like they're having fun.

Megadeth are next on stage, right as torrential rains arrives. The crowd looks funny in their multicoloured rain ponchos but still they're way more energetic than they were for Anthrax. Mustaine looks like he's in pain while singing. He always pulls faces but this looks a little more than usual. Overall the music is tight but they are very static on the stage.

The rain stops (poor Megadeth) and Slayer take the stage. They are on top form and loving the crowd response. King's got some very metal guitars!

Finally as it's getting dark The Ecstasy of Gold starts playing and Metallica arrive. Now it's dark they get the benefit of a full light show which makes them feel bigger than the rest. The fact that they get a two hour set compared to one hour for the others helps with that too. Yet on a wide shot of the whole gigantic stage they actually look quite small. The first thing I noticed is how small Ulrich's drum kit is. He's only got one tom and a few cymbals more than I do. I guess I never payed enough attention before I started playing myself. Still it's a much smaller set up than most metal drummers.

The highlight of course is "Am I Evil?" where all 17 band members come on and play together for the first song of the encore.