MEGADETH To Play 20 Concerts In America This Year

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has posted the following message on the group's official web site:

"I am going to put up a remix for your listening pleasure and switch it out every week or so with a new track until the release comes to relieve your fears that the remix did anything bad to the MEGADETH archives. This will not include any MD.45 as far as I know, because this is a MEGADETH site.

"I have been handling things a little blurrily here for the last few months trying to satisfy everyone, and I need to remember that my personal musical stuff and MD.45 belong elsewhere. So I guess I should say thank you for obliging me, and I am going to clean up the focus of my purpose here. I will redirect any of those questions elsewhere from now on, and will not use this site as a personal platform for any other bands or projects I may be doing, other then to point you there.

"And now . . . yes there are now open discussions for concert dates with Benchmark, MEGADETH's management and William Morris, MEGADETH's agency. They have submitted 17 dates for the US and Canada, and I told them I would be willing to do 20 concerts a year in North America, which will be the only concerts this year as of now.

"At some point there will be talks of who will play in this line-up and as that happens I will post little blurbs. I have asked for MEGADETH to go into 1000-3000 seat venues for personal reasons, and have not decided if MEGADETH should have a support band yet.

"We are also considering concert dates outside of the US and Canada and that would include approximately 25 dates for the UK and Europe, 20 dates for the Pacific Rim, and 10 dates for South America.

"I believe this is going to be really good for all of us, and that the focus of 75 concerts a year will give MEGADETH the opportunity to rebuild a mighty empire, to exchange cities one year for the next, and to reclaim a position atop the Heavy Metal Hierarchy.

"Please, please, please do not start threads suggesting who should get back playing in MEGADETH. The System Lords have been asked to close those because this decision is hard enough as it is, especially if I know that there will be disappointment because I haven't picked your favorite ex-member. I would rather not hear about 'the greatest guy that lives next door that can play all of Marty solos,' or that can play 'all your rhythms as good as you Dave,' because I want this to be terrific for us all.

"Lastly, I have contacted, discussed, and hired Ed Repka to do the new records artwork. I told him the album title and the concept I wanted and he loved it. So much so that he even one-upped me during our conversation, which stoked me! I cleared up all of the past with him and we are on even soil again today. I am so pumped I can't even tell you!"