MEGADETH Mainman Is 'Praying' For More Extensive Tours

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has posted the following message in the "Forums" section of the band's official web site:

"I have got to be one of the luckiest guys in the world. Not only do I have a great family and a great band, staff, and crew, but to have all of the thoughtful MEGADETH (and even some 'you-know-who!' fans too) leaving me messages here, sending me emails and calling me at home today or on my SayNow number — (619) 717-2000 — has got to be better than any drug (even the stuff that the toxic twins in the first line-up used to get!).

"I am sitting in my office, well into my 46th year of life and I can't help but think that I have got to be one of the luckiest guys in the world. Outside of our community here, until someone actually comes in and sees how we all hang out and that Megs is a way of life and not just a band that you grow tired of and move on, there are a lot of misunderstandings about how close we are for you to reach out to, as well how much fun it is to be in this thing together.

"Then there was last year . . . I got on my face last Rosh Hashanah and prayed that I would have a breakout and breakthrough year (first time I ever tried this) and my prayers were answered. On this I am sure we will all agree, we did in fact have a great year.

"This year I pray for more extensive reaching tours into new and exotic territories (and some shitholes too for posterity),and that we would all be successful in what we do, if we are doing the right things, and that we would find someone to love and be as stinking happy as I have been or better for the next year!!

"And I can't believe how enthusiastic this last week has been with the fans, the turn out, the volume of the cheering, and the unbelievably satisfied faces that I get to look into each night. it almost seems as though it gets better every night, although I know that it is impossible for the first show to have not felt as great to the audience there as last night's was in Anaheim, or the show before that, San Francisco, or really any of the insane audiences that we have played to so far on this leg of the Tour of Duty on the Pacific Coast.

"Interruption — I just got to tell Electra [Dave's daughter] what kind of ice cream I want, and I wonder if you can guess what I picked? I told her, 'Rocky Road' because our new miniature horse is named 'Rocky' too! So I figure in a few hours from now I will be full of steak and ice cream, the love and hugging of my family, and all of your kind words and best wishes.

"How can I not feel like I have the best friends in the world? Makes me want to break a guitar, I am so darned happy!"

Fan-filmed video footage of MEGADETH performing the song "A Tout Le Monde" on September 11, 2007 at the Warfield in San Francisco, California can be viewed below.

MEGADETH's September 22, 2007 concert at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio will be streamed live via YeboTV.com. You will need to register at this location to catch this live event.

MEGADETH kicked off its U.S. headlining tour on September 4 in Anchorage, Alaska. The trek will take the band through 24 U.S. cites ending up in Norfolk Virginia on October 6. Support on the dates comes from IN THIS MOMENT and THE CONFESSION.

For a list of upcoming MEGADETH shows, click here.

The artwork for MEGADETH's upcoming box set, "Warchest", has been posted online at this location. The 4-CD+DVD collection features more than six hours of digitally remastered content, hand-selected by Mustaine, including 30 audio and video tracks making their global release debuts, and an additional three tracks that have never before been released in the U.S. "Warchest"'s October 2 release caps Mustaine and Capitol/EMI's in-depth MEGADETH catalog remastering and restoration campaign, which has encompassed the band's Capitol studio albums, while also adding new audio and video collections to the band's arsenal.