THRASH AGAINST CANCER
Hangar 18 live at The Pound
San Francisco, CA
July 9, 2005

Thrash Against Cancer proves that the Bay Area, the birthplace of Thrash Metal, can still get together for a good pit and a good cause! The show, which benefitted families affected by cancer, featured a reunion of the original line-up of Testament (yes, including Alex Skolnik, who seemed very happy to be back among his Testament cohorts), a long-anticipated reunion of Laaz Rockit, the legendary Hirax, the mighty Agent Steel, plus San Francisco and Los Angeles' finest up-n-coming metal bands. And, to add a fine ending to a fine evening, Hangar 18 closed the night with a blistering set of Megadeth's most headbanging tunes.

The official flyer for the Thrash Against Cancer benefit. Wow! What a line-up! Not only did the day consist of a heaping helping of metal talent, but give-aways and a bbq too!

The doors opened at 2pm and closed 12 hours later, at 2am. You would think that by the time Hangar 18 took the stage (close to 1am) that the crowd would have been exhausted. Quite the contrary, there was plenty of headbanging, fist-pumping, and moshpitting to prove that in fact, sleep is highly overrated.

 

And what's a benefit without giveaways! Hangar 18 gave out limited edition DVD-Audio copies of Megadeth's Peace Sells... But Who's Buying album, plus Hangar 18 and Megadeth T-shirts to the craziest Megadeth fans in the audience.

In spirit of the event, the setlist consisted of only Megadeth's thrashiest tunes, from "Hangar 18" to "Rattlehead".

Dave Scott Chedrick Samuelson did double-duty that night, having performed for over an hour with his original band Hirax. Look for Hirax with Dave Scott in Japan this fall.

William "Fro Mustaine" Rustrum also did double-duty, as his original band Anger As Art was also on the bill. After a quick nap in the car sometime during the afternoon, Fro was ready to Take No Prisoners on stage with Hangar 18!

 

A close-up and quiet (???!!) moment with Marty "Vic" Doty.

Melanie "Mellefson" Sisneros road tests her brand new Spector Legend bass. Same old raccoon tail, tho...

And the crowd goes wild!

Flyer Gallery: During the show, Hangar 18 passed out flyers with information regarding their set time during the festival.

Special thanks to Walter and Keith for having us, Carol "Photomistress" Anderson and Doug "Chris Jericho" Kasper for snapping the pix, Denis "the Moshking" Recendez and the rest of LA posse who made the trek. And to all those who came to the Thrash Against Cancer event and showed generosity for the cause and love of the music.