Megadeth have officially begun their long goodbye. The thrash icons launched their farewell tour on February 15 at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria, British Columbia, delivering a set built largely around fan favorites from across their four-decade catalog.
Rather than centering the night on their newly released self-titled final studio album, the band opted for a nostalgia-heavy approach. Only two tracks from Megadeth made the 17-song performance: the lead single “Tipping Point,” which opened the show, and the punk-leaning “I Don’t Care,” slotted in early in the set.
From there, it was classic after classic. “Hangar 18,” “Sweating Bullets,” “Countdown to Extinction,” and “Symphony of Destruction” were all accounted for, while “Peace Sells” and the epic closer “Holy Wars … The Punishment Due” brought the evening to a powerful finish.
The complete setlist was (according to Setlist.fm):
- “Tipping Point”
- “Hangar 18”
- “Dread and the Fugitive Mind”
- “Sweating Bullets”
- “Angry Again”
- “I Don’t Care”
- “Wake Up Dead”
- “In My Darkest Hour”
- “Countdown to Extinction”
- “Dystopia”
- “Skin o’ My Teeth”
- “Tornado of Souls”
- “Trust”
- “Symphony of Destruction”
- “Mechanix”
- “Peace Sells”
- “Holy Wars … The Punishment Due”
The farewell trek was first revealed last August alongside news of the band’s final album. That record went on to become a major milestone, debuting at No. 1 in the U.S. with 73,000 equivalent album units sold in its first week, according to Luminate — marking the first chart-topping release of Megadeth’s career.
Despite closing the chapter on studio recordings, the band aren’t planning a quick exit from the stage. In a previous interview with Kerrang!, Dave Mustaine suggested the farewell touring cycle could stretch on for another three to five years.
The current Canadian leg features support from Anthrax and Exodus. Additional dates will see Megadeth head to Latin America and Europe before returning to North America to join Iron Maiden on their 50th anniversary “Run For Your Lives” tour.
