Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine has reaffirmed his belief that at least one more ‘Big Four’ concert should take place before Slayer’s impending breakup.
Ever since the early ’80s, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth have made up “the Big Four” of the thrash metal genre. In 2010, almost 30 years after the four groups formed, they all appeared together on the same lineup in Poland, marking the first time ever that such an event occurred.
Despite a number of the groups playing together over the years, we’ve never seen another one of these ‘Big Four’ concerts since. In fact, the closest we’ve seen was Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax’s appearance at Australia’s Soundwave Festival in 2013.
While Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine recently noted that with Slayer planning to break up, it’s now or never, he has again expressed his desire to play some final shows with all four iconic bands.
Speaking to SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation LA Invasion: Live From The Rainbow Bar & Grill (via Blabbermouth), Mustaine addressed the question of whether he’d be interested in playing a final round of ‘Big Four’ shows.
“I think everybody in the metal community wants to see that, with Slayer going away,” Dave Mustaine began. “Although, fortunately, with the attention that they’re getting, they’re not [going away yet] — there’s so much attention for them that they continue to play, which is great for us.”
“But I think that before they retire, there should be another ‘Big Four’ show. And since the scene primarily started in the [San Francisco] Bay Area, I think it should be done in the Bay Area or here [in Los Angeles]. To me, it’s just not right. I think there should be at least one more.”
Check out Megadeth’s ‘Symphony Of Destruction’:
“No. The whole thing was great,” Mustaine explained when asked if there was a highlight of the previous show. “I can’t whittle it down to one thing.”
“I do know that looking out in the audience and seeing everybody in black t-shirts before we started and then the rain started and all these rainbow-colored umbrellas opened up, it was the most beautiful thing.”
“Because it went form this monochrome kind of really ugly place in Sofia, Bulgaria in the rain to just this plethora of color and just beauty, and everybody was dancing and pogoing and wheelchairs going across people’s heads and stuff. They didn’t let the rain bother them at all.”
At this stage, it remains to be seen whether or not Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax will come together to play a fitting farewell for Slayer, though you can be certain that if such a show is indeed announced, it will quickly become one of the most sought-after tickets in town.
Australian fans can catch 50% of the Big Four earlier next year when Slayer hits up Australia for the final time as part of the 2019 Download Festival. With Anthrax on the bill as well, all we need now is some immensely special guests by way of Metallica and Megadeth to make it a festival we’ll never forget.
Check out the Big Four playing ‘Am I Evil?’:
Download Festival 2019 Lineup
Sum 41 (Only Aus Shows)
Pennywise (Only Aus Shows)
Thy Art Is Murder
Polaris
Twelve Foot Ninja
Slaves
Voyager
Joining…
Ozzy Osbourne (Only Aus Shows)
Slayer (Final World Tour)
Judas Priest (Only Aus Shows)
Alice In Chains
Ghost
Rise Against (Only Aus Shows)
The Amity Affliction (Only Aus Shows)
Anthrax
Halestorm (Only Aus Shows)
Behemoth
Me First And The Gimme Gimmes
I Prevail
Converge
Frenzal Rhomb
Luca Brasi
Code Orange
Andy Black
The Fever 333
War On Women
High Tension
Outright
Ruins
Alien Weaponry
Download Festival Australia 2019
Saturday, March 9th, 2019
Parramatta Park, Sydney, NSW
Monday, March 11th, 2019 (Long weekend)
Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, VIC
