Shawn Drover of Megadeth Final Tour Blog

Greeting humans and welcome to the final installment of my tour blog. Sit back and enjoy…

Shows #18 & 19 – Davenport, Iowa and Fargo, North Dakota

Both of these gigs were similar in many ways – The performances were very solid and without incident, which is always nice 🙂 also, to my great joy, the temperature has now become very cold (between 5-10 degrees) yet still no snow!!!! This would change soon enough, as the Doppler shows that Fargo would indeed have snow. Hey, its the Holiday season and I live in Atlanta, so give me a break here!!! 🙂

Show #20 Billings, Montana

I wake up early to finally see some snow and ICE COLD temperatures – Cold enough to freeze your face inside off!!! (be careful what you wish for, I suppose) Anyways, this would be the 3rd show in a row in a state I have yet to perform in, and once again after the shows crown reaction (they went NUTS) I do wonder why we have not been here in a while??!! We certainly will be back at some point to these places and look forward to doing so, I must say. Good show, good crowd, good night!!!

Show #21 Reno, Nevada

Our last long drive (1,000 miles – yuk) has us arriving in Reno, Nevada, to a bit warmer temperatures, but still snowing, which thrills me to no end. Reno can also spell trouble for some of us (or great joy, you are a good gambler, if there is such a thing) I always have a bit of money put aside to play Blackjack or Roulette, so after having dinner with James, I head on over to the Roulette table and lose it within 1 hour. No biggie, as I am saving most of my gambling fun for Las Vegas.  The show itself would bring hands down the most "Spinal Tap moment" on this tour leg, as my Snare Drum stand would collapse during "Symphony of Destruction" and thus would have my balancing it on my right knee while still using the kick drum (not an easy task, I can assure you). At 1 point, my tech "Big" Nick Grayson would try to help out with the balancing act with a broken elbow.  Where is a video camera when you need one?!!!!  The whole incident was hilarious but I somehow got through the song, and the snare stand was quickly replaced. With the show ending I do the after show signing with Dave, then quickly get to my bunk and to bed.

Show #22 Las Vegas, Nevada

I love Las Vegas!!! Just the whole vibe of the city is something I really enjoy, and with my wife waiting for me in the hotel, I am in the best mood. We have played the House of Blues several times now, which is a good venue, so knowing this last show will be a good 1 also puts a smile on my face. At sound check I find another potential "Spinal Tap" moment, as my  drum throne’s leg has somehow fallen between the grates of my riser. I play it this way at sound check and am thankful I spotted this problem before the show, as it could not have been fixed in 10 seconds. Big Nick fixes it up after our sound check and the show goes off well.The band and crew are all smiles as we complete yet another tour leg. All but myself leave within hours to go home to their families, while my wife, Jodi and I stay for 3 days in Vegas for a mini-vacation before heading home for the Holidays. And on that note, I wish all of you here at Sick Drummer Magazine a great Holiday season.

Regards,
Shawn Drover
Megadeth