‘If I Want Someone Up on Shoulders, It’ll Be Me Doing an Angus Young Impression’: Dave Mustaine on What He Doesn’t Want to See at Megadeth Shows

Dave Mustaine went over some of the security measures Megadeth strives to adhere to during live shows, noting how he wants everyone to enjoy themselves while staying safe at the same time.

Heavy metal gigs have a (sorta unjust) reputation of being unruly affairs. After all, they have birthed such traditions as the moshpit, while the music itself often tends to energize even the most timid of listeners. However, as metal became more widely accepted and metalheads old enough to have children (or grandchildren) started bringing them to live shows, the heavy metal gig lost some of its dangerous aspects for the sake of safety — moreover, few people want to risk getting injured while enjoying a night out listening to their favorite band.

To that end, many bands have the security measures at their live shows meticulously planned out, and Megadeth is no exception. In a new interview with Kyle Meredith, however, Dave Mustaine noted how the overall security atmosphere of a gig tends to vary depending on the venue his band is playing at (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar):

“Well, obviously, where you’re playing [makes] a difference. And then you get into the nitty gritty, where you get the bands that are going to be playing with you, and the way that the venue treats the fans that come in there.”

“You know, you could be at one place where the security are like a bunch of biker rock stars and they’re having a good time, and then you go to another place and they’re just a bunch of shriveled-up meatheads who want to beat up the fans.”

As for how Megadeth positions itself within given circumstances, Mustaine offered:

“Well, we have a security meeting before we open the doors, and pretty much tell them [security] no roughhousing the fans, and just be kind and polite to them, and let them know that if they come over, they’ve got three chances to come over. You know, because you see some of these really large guys come flying up against the barricade, and there’s some younger fans there, and lot of younger girls there too, and they’ve got 150 to 250-pound guy falling on the back of their neck. People get hurt.”

“So, we just try and consider everybody while we’re there. We’ve got a really wise approach to our security too. We try and make sure that the security guys know everybody’s there to have a good time. Don’t get up on the barricade with your flashlight and try and get everybody off of people’s shoulders, because it’s not your show, buddy, it’s my show. And if I want someone up on shoulders, it’ll be me during an Angus Young impression.”

You can check out upcoming Megadeth live shows here.