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Four names that bring metal fans into a frenzy would definitely be Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax and Metallica. Some of us have been lucky enough to see either one, or all of these bands.How many of us have seen all four at the same time? Thanks to technology these days, I was lucky enough to attend a viewing of The Big Four concert on June 22nd with my brother Eric. It’s because of him I have listened and loved these bands, and it is also because of him I was lucky enough to catch such an amazing piece of history.

When I was told about this concert coming to a local movie theater, I made sure I was there. Going to anything concert related gets the anxiousness brewing in me. So when time came to enter what was to be the sanctuary of metal for one night, I was pumped. I didn’t expect to see many people among us, but man was I wrong. There were old metal heads, father and son metal heads, boyfriend and girlfriend metal heads, and of course the brother metal heads. No matter the age, the theater was about 3/4ths full to see the legends tear up the silver screen.

Anthrax opened the set and really set the bar. I found myself sitting in my seat, shaking my head with how heavy and fast they came out. Joey Belladonna surprisingly kept his signature voice and high notes in tact the entire set. In the middle of Indians, Anthrax went into a quick rendition of Heaven and Hell. They really shined on this rendition, and everyone quickly applauded their show of respect to fallen singer Ronnie James Dio. After they finished the set, my brother looked at me and said, “How can you top that?” I really didn’t know the answer, and had to find out for myself.

I am lucky enough to get to see Megadeth and Slayer this summer, so getting to see the two this night was quite exciting. Dave Mustaine and company ripped it to shreds! Since Dave has gotten sober, he can shred an axe like I have never seen. I found myself playing air guitar a bunch during this set, and it was well deserved. I kept thinking how it really felt like I was a part of the show and I had this incredible urge to just get up and mosh. It was also really cool to watch Megadeth play their set while it down poured. I have always been a fan of Megadeth, but watching them really drew me back in to listening to them. I personally can’t wait to see them on the American Carnage tour.

Did I mention Slayer was playing on this bill? When they flashed those six letters across the screen, everyone got psyched. There were quite a few Slayer bellows, myself included. Slayer brought out the moshing in the movie theater. They started with World Painted Blood, which was an interesting choice to kick off a set with. They, like the other two bands, covered all the classics. The only complaint Eric and I had was that it seemed like they were just starting to really fire up, and then they ended. Despite that, Tom Araya played solid for just having neck surgery six months back. After all these years, they still kill it. If you get a chance, go see them. I’m going to see them for the 10th time live this summer, and I am very excited about it.

The night capped with a rocking performance by Metallica. I always liked how they start off a set with Ennio Morricone blaring over the PA, getting the crowd psyched. I felt like I was watching the old Metallica play, and also seeing flashes of Cliff and Jason on bass throughout the set. My only complaint was that they played The Unforgiven at the most wrong time. You should never play a slow song in the middle of a killer set. For an encore, they brought out every band to play Am I Evil, minus 3/4ths of Slayer. How chilling was it watching Dave Mustaine singing with the same band that axed him many years back? Get the DVD to see. Metallica closing out an amazing night was the right move for sure. This was one night Bulgarian’s will not soon forget.

This concert was so worth the price of tickets, and the twenty two dollars for two sodas and two pretzel pieces with cheese. The tribute they did for Dio was cool, and some of the stories told were pretty funny. The Big Four was so good, I went to the encore two nights later with my best friend. He also thought the show was awesome, and also rocked out the most during Slayer’s set. When the DVD comes out, go buy it. If they tour here in the States, go see them. I witnessed history June 22nd, 2010. The smile and memories will not, and cannot be erased. I left the movie theater all smiles, a little more deaf, and ready for this summer. If you missed out, you should hang your head in shame. The Big Four was awesome, and I know about 100,000 people who can back me up on that one.

Josh Usher has been a fan of music, and heavy metal in general, for over 20 years.

Thanks to Blabbermouth.net for the tip!

Visit the Slayer Music Store on Amazon.com.

Visit the Metallica Download Store on Amazon.com.

Check out downloads at the Megadeth Download Store on Amazon.com.

Visit the Anthrax Store on Amazon.com for downloads.

Check out the iTunes Store Music for all of these and other great metal tunes.