black sabbath and megadeth ripped the night open

Okay, not Sabbath exactly; it was the Ronnie James Dio edition touring as "Heaven and Hell" that played the HP Pavilion this past Tuesday night, their second stop on the US tour. But when you look down at the stage and there's Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler tearing it up, well you know who it is. I'm not sure why they aren't using the Sabbath name nor playing any pre-Dio songs, whether it is a legal thing or out of genuine respect for Ozzy and Bill. Probably because the original band still plays together I guess. In any case, an amazing show especially considering those guys are well into middle age. I'm just stunned at how Dio's voice has held up, that dude can really shriek.

Although H&H were the headliners, I'm sure they must hate having to follow Megadeth. Mustaine and company continue to pump out tremendously heavy rock, and their chops are ferocious. Their stage show was toned way down compared to their headlining performance at last year's Gigantour -- no pyro stuff and a lot less gear -- but they kicked serious ass musically. The mix could have been better, but overall the sound was pretty decent for a big barn like the Shark tank. BTW, Megadeth have a new record coming out soon, for which we are waiting impatiently.

Talk about getting hit with a Tuesday night music club...wham!