Hangar 18 live at The El Paso Convention Center
The Borderland Metalfest
El Paso, TX
November 22, 2003

The first annual Borderland Metalfest was a blast! Bands from Los Angeles, El Paso, and even Juarez Mexico provided a whole day's worth of Metal, plus there were merchandise vendors and tattoo artists to add to the festive atmosphere.

The Metalfest was held at the El Paso Convention Center and featured Hangar 18, Dreams of Damnation, and AK Syndicate.

 

The sound, lighting, and stage were very professional. Here a sea of El Paso-ians look on as William "Fro Mustaine" Rustrum shreds a solo.

Sporting his new wireless, guitarist Michael "Mikey Friedman" Johnson sings and plays. Hangar 18 debuted a new addition to the setlist, "Skull Beneath the Skin" and pulled out "Ashes in Your Mouth" from the Hangar 18 archives.

The set also included songs from every Megadeth album between Killing is my Business and Youthanasia, or as Fro Mustaine likes to call it, "the drug-induced Megadeth".

Dave Scott Chedrick Samuelson had his work cut out for him. Not only did he pound through 90 minutes of Megadeth tunes, but his original band, Dreams of Damnation, had torn through a brutal 70 minute set of their own only an hour before.

 

Basswoman Melanie "Mellefson" Sisneros takes on more backing vocals, including providing the female voice on the prayer in "Go to Hell".

Fro Mustaine tries to illustrate to an attentive crowd how big his hair usually is when not subject to dry, windy conditions. The wind was so brutal that the plane that carried Hangar 18 into town had a difficult time landing, and the air was filled with dust.

Dave Scott Chedrick Samuelson looks down from his perch above the very very tall drumriser.

Mellefson is no stranger to this area of the southwest, being from the neighboring state of New Mexico.

Some crazy El Paso metallers look on, bang heads, and sing along. Thank you, El Paso!

More Photos: Backstage and Before the Show