Thrash Night in Saskatoon: Megadeth Leads a Relentless Triple Bill
- Scott Roos
- 13 hours ago
- 5 min read
photos and words by Scott Roos
There are nights when a metal tour rolls through town and checks the boxes. And then there are nights when thrash history itself seems to step out onto the stage, plug in, and remind everyone why this music still matters. The recent triple threat of Megadeth, Anthrax, and Exodus at the SaskTel Centre on Tuesday, February 24th delivered exactly that: a multi-generational thrash celebration that was equal parts nostalgia trip and living, breathing proof that these veterans still have teeth.
Across a single night in Saskatoon, fans were treated to short, sharp violence from Exodus, a punk imbibed pummeling from Anthrax, and a career-spanning farewell masterclass from Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine and company.
Exodus: Short, Sharp, and Ferocious
Exodus didn’t waste a second.
Given a relatively brief opening slot, the Bay Area veterans approached their six-song set like a demolition job. They were fast, efficient, and absolutely punishing. They opened with “3111,” tipping their cap to the forthcoming Goliath album (due March 20), and immediately established the tone: this was not going to be a nostalgia act sleepwalk.
The band smartly balanced eras, leaning into their Bonded by Blood roots while still pushing forward. Classics like “The Toxic Waltz,” also landed exactly as they should - fast, mean, and tightly executed.
Some of the pre-show, social media chatter seemed to revolve around the returning vocalist Rob Dukes, who stepped back into the role following the departure of Steve "Zetro" Souza in early 2025. If there were any doubts about whether Dukes could still command the Exodus war machine, they were obliterated within minutes.
Dukes worked the stage like a field general, barking commands and whipping the crowd into formation. His call for a proper wall of death was delivered with authority and, more importantly, the Saskatoon crowd answered. It was old-school thrash theatre done right.
Behind him, the band was razor sharp. Gary Holt and Lee Altus locked into that signature Exodus twin-guitar grind, while Tom Hunting and Jack Gibson provided a rock-solid rhythmic spine.
The set was short. It was punchy. And it did exactly what an opener should do. It left the crowd warmed up for what was to come next.
Anthrax: Thrash With a Punk Heart
If Exodus delivered surgical aggression, Anthrax brought the party and the pit.
Their set felt like a non-stop sprint, what could only be described as a “four on the floor” thrash assault. There was virtually no downtime between songs, apart from a bit of playful banter, just a relentless charge through the band’s most beloved material.
From the jump, it was clear the theme of the night was “Thrash Night,” just as their merch promised. They leaned hard into the essentials:
“A.I.R.”
“Among the Living”
“Got the Time”
“Caught in a Mosh”
“Metal Thrashing Mad”
“I Am the Law”
“Madhouse”
Every one of the “you can’t leave the building without playing this” tracks was present and accounted for.
Vocalist Joey Belladonna was in particularly strong form. His trademark high-register howls remain remarkably intact, and he navigated the set with confidence and power. There’s a theatricality to Belladonna that continues to separate Anthrax from many of their thrash peers. He's a bit more showman, a bit less pure menace and that, apart from a brief run with vocalist John Bush, has been the bands calling card for literally decades.
Guitarist Scott Ian anchored the band with his rhythm work. Alongside him, the classic rhythm section of Frank Bello and Charlie Benante remained locked firmly in the pocket, driving the songs with mechanical precision.
Lead guitarist Jon Donais handled the flashier moments with ease, shredding fluidly without ever losing the groove.
What stood out most, however, was Anthrax’s enduring punk energy. Even decades into their career, their performance style still carries that crossover thrash bounce. It's less brooding than some of their peers, more kinetic, more communal. The pit reflected that spirit all night.
The set closed with “Indians,” which detonated the crowd one final time before the band and audience joined together for a rousing a cappella “Ô Canada.” In a Canadian arena, it was a genuinely goosebump moment — equal parts patriotic and metal family singalong.
Megadeth: A Farewell Done Right
By the time Megadeth took the stage, the building was fully primed. And then came the opening notes of “Tipping Point.”
Right away, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a mailed-in legacy performance. The newer material fit comfortably alongside the classics, and the crowd responded immediately. For a band deep into farewell-tour territory, the energy level was impressively high. Mustaine, now very much in elder statesman mode, still cut a commanding figure at center stage. His trademark sneer remaining intact, and while time has naturally weathered the voice a wee tad, his delivery still carries the razor sharp edges that defines Megadeth’s sound.
The early run of songs of “Angry Again,” “Hangar 18,” and “Dread and the Fugitive Mind” hit like a precision strike. Mustaine as well as Teemu Mäntysaari proved to be a formidable pairing. Mäntysaari in particular continues to settle into the role with confidence, handling the technically demanding solos with clarity and speed.
“Hanger 18” was a particular highlight, shredded to near-perfection, with the extended solo trade-offs drawing loud approval from the Saskatoon faithful.
The rhythm section of James LoMenzo and Dirk Verbeuren deserves special mention. Verbeuren remains one of the tightest drummers in modern thrash, combining technical precision with serious punch, while LoMenzo’s bass presence anchored the low end throughout the night.
Mid-set highlights came fast:
“In My Darkest Hour”
“Sweating Bullets” (complete with full crowd singalong)
“Tornado of Souls”
“Trust”
When Mustaine leaned into the spoken-word sneer of “Sweating Bullets,” the entire arena seemed to join him word for word. This was definitely one of the night’s clearest reminders of just how deeply these songs are embedded in metal culture.
One pleasant surprise was the tour debut of “Hook in Mouth,” a deeper cut that longtime fans clearly appreciated. Moments like this helped the set feel curated rather than purely greatest-hits by autopilot.
From there, Megadeth shifted into full victory-lap mode. “Countdown to Extinction,” “Mechanix,” and “Peace Sells” kept the momentum surging before the inevitable closing duo: the absolutely rifftastic “Symphony of Destruction” followed by the epic “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due.” If you were building a Megadeth farewell ending in a lab, you’d struggle to improve on that one-two punch.
A Multi-Generational Metal Crowd
One of the most striking aspects of the night wasn’t just the performances. It was the audience.
The crowd at SaskTel Centre spanned multiple generations. You had original-era thrash fans in vintage tour shirts standing shoulder-to-shoulder with younger metalheads experiencing these bands live for the first time. Parents brought kids. Old friends reunited in the concourse. The pit, while energetic, maintained that familiar metal-show camaraderie.
It felt less like three separate band sets and more like a community event. It was indeed a gathering of the thrash faithful.
Final Verdict
This tour stop delivered exactly what longtime fans hoped for and what newer fans needed to see.
Exodus: short, sharp, and ferocious
Anthrax: high-energy and joyfully relentless
Megadeth: a polished, emotional farewell performance
If this truly is the beginning of the end for Megadeth’s touring life, Saskatoon got a fitting sendoff. Mustaine and company sounded focused, professional, and, most importantly, still dangerous when the riffs kicked in.
Thrash metal, as this night proved, isn’t just surviving. It’s aging loudly and refusing to go quietly. And if this was one of the final times Saskatchewan gets to see Megadeth tear through a full arena set, it was a night well worth the ringing ears.
We’ll miss you, Dave.
