Backed by formidable stack of Marshall amps, Dave Mustaine and Megadeth brought the pummeling metal to a rapid house of metalheads on the Endgame Tour.
Photographer's Notes:
It's not every show where a singer's hair is a major factor in photographing a concert, but this show w/ Megadeth was one of them. Dave Mustaine's signature locks – were they being whipped about or simply catching the hot downlights and blowing out – were a constant factor for this gig.
Having photographed Metallica and Slayer earlier this year, I was pumped to photograph Megadeth and complete the trifecta of trash metal for 2009. Now, if Anthrax were touring as well, I could have gone four for four. Maybe in 2010.
The setup for this show was super simple. No speaker monitors were at the front of the stage, which made shooting angles free and clear. Twelve Marshalls lined the back of the stage, flanking the relatively huge drum kit of Shawn Drover.
I shot this set with the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 and Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8. I used the 70-200mm f/2.8 for a few shots, but the relatively small stage and proximity to Dave Mustaine made it fairly unnecessary.
As the founding member, I focused almost exclusively on photographing Dave Mustaine for this performance.
Here's a setup shot of the stage before the band came on:
And of course, the fans:
