Excellent but underrated film

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

After having recently reviewed their previous concert DVD, Rude Awakening, I feel compelled to discuss That One Night: Live In Buenos Aires. Filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2005, it was a concert that almost never happened. Why? Because Megadeth disbanded in 2002, after Dave Mustaine suffered nerve damage to his left arm. But two years later, with his physical therapy completed, Dave planned to do a solo album. However, contractual obligations required him to do another Megadeth album, so the band was resurrected (minus original bassist Dave Ellefson). The group then recorded a new studio album titled The System Has Failed, which was released in September 2004.In addition to Mega-classics such as "Hangar 18," "Wake Up Dead," "A Tout Le Monde," "In My Darkest Hour," and "Peace Sells," the set list included "I'll Be There" (from their 1999 album, Risk) and "Coming Home to Argentina," both of which Megadeth dedicated to the audience. The main drawback of the show was the absence of bassist Dave Ellefson. Instead, James MacDonough was the bass player for the band's concert tour (the 2007 live album - also titled "That One Night: Live In Buenos Aires" - is the only Megadeth album to feature MacDonough on bass). But overall, it is a wonderful concert DVD.

I was at a Megadeth gig in 1997, and a decade later it seems as if they'd actually stepped it up a notch. That is to say Mustaine has. This is after all his band; it rises and falls depending on his moods and bouts of inspiration alone. While the albums have markedly dropped in quality post-"Cryptic Writings", Mustaine has loosened up a bit. He appears to be enjoying touring more than before, at least that's the impression I get. Older, wiser (not a liberal anymore), and possibly as drug- and alcohol-free as he's been advertising in recent years. Although a natural-born attention-seeker (you have to be one in order to front a band and appear in front of 50,000 people, I guess), Mustaine was never overtly outgoing or animated on stage like so many singers – least of all a clownish, bouncing rubber-ball of retarded poseurish choreographed energy as exhibited by painfully embarrassing nu-metal creatures such as Jacoby Shaddix from Papa Roach, for example. So whatever little emotion he shows is a lot compared to the 80s or 90s when he was basically stone-faced (and utterly doped up) Dave throughout a live appearance. Of course, there is one crucial element in Buenos Aires that would get even the most autistic loner going. For those who had already seen the DVD, you know what I mean.The sound is excellent, the playing impeccable as ever – but what truly sets this DVD apart from so many others is the unbelievably energetic Argentine crowd. If there is anyone who ever – for whatever strange reason - had doubts about the validity of the age-old stereotype of the hot-blooded Latin-American who cannot control his emotions even if he tried, this video is there to crush those doubts into oblivion. I laughed out loud when I heard the crowds singing to the riff from "Symphony of Destruction". Just seconds later, Mustaine confirms my sentiments when he makes a remark that the Argies are the only fans that sing his guitar parts to him during the gigs. This was an ideal way to start off the DVD.The crowd sings along "Me-ga-deth" to so many riffs, it's absolutely hilarious to watch and hear – but also exhilarating; their enthusiasm is infectious. Mustaine isn't some wuss to break down and cry at such a blatant display of worship (even though he did make a bit of an ass of himself in the "Some Kind of a Monster" film), but one could tell that even he, in spite of having had played hundreds of large gigs over several decades, isn't unmoved by such an extreme display of fanaticism and devotion. His Ego must have been fully saturated by the gig's encore.The only minor criticism I have is the occasionally poor choice of songs. Half-a-dozen tracks on the set-list are off the last 3-4 albums, none of them having the quality of the earlier material, being somewhat derivative and generally too radio-friendly. Megadeth has a rich discography to choose from, that even if they were to play a 3-hour gig they wouldn't run out of excellent material, so I simply don't see place for anything average in a 90-minute set. 2-3 songs from the latest album should have been more than sufficient. I also don't see why Mustaine had to pick the worst track off the first 4 albums, "Tornado of Souls"; I always hated it because its chorus sounds like a cheap pop song, almost Eurovision Song Contest fluff. It's the black sheep of the "Rust In Peace" album.The highlights (apart from the long camera sweeps of the large crowd) were "Trust" (the absolute high point), "Tout Le Monde", "Wake Up Dead", "Set The World Afire", and "Hangar 18" (which seems to be tailor-made for being played live).Mustaine had very "modestly" proclaimed himself the originator of thrash in the "Get Thrashed" documentary – or at least fell only slightly short of declaring himself the "Godfather of Thrash". But I've always said that when a ridiculously huge Ego is backed up by immense talent (particularly song-writing ability; nowadays virtuoso guitarists are dime-a-dozen, but very few of them can write a decent song) then it's easily forgivable. There is nothing worse than a buffoon whose Ego is thousand-fold that of his talent (such as Kanye West or Madonna). Besides, when we look at the facts, Mustaine is one of a handful of pioneers of thrash, and I do tend to believe him when he says that he directly influenced and taught Kerry King and James Hetfield how to play thrash riffs. Being older than these guys gives added credence to this bold claim. So perhaps it was symbolic in a way that Mustaine's Megadeth was the last of the "Big Four" (how I hate that daft moniker)) to churn out great music. By the time Megadeth's last quality album was released (1997) Slayer, Metallica, and Anthrax had long lost their way, becoming the uncreative bands they still are to this day. This especially goes for Metallica and the much-overrated Anthrax. Quite fittingly, Megadeth was the best band in Sofia, on the "Big 4" DVD.

One of the coolest things about the DVD is the start, an interview with some typical fan shots and acoustic play-offs with the fans. But straight after that, its right into it, with a very fast and loud song, from there most recent album of the time. It sets it up, camera zooms in and you know you're in for a ride. Another awesome thin is how there are bonus songs, not heard on EP's or CD's..... The music is amazingly clear and some songs sound far better than on the albums such as symphony of destruction, kick the chair and blackmail the universe.The camera work is much better than a lot of live shows DVD's, with crane camera work zooming over the crowd, thousands were there and with there chanting you can really feel the atmosphere of the show.For a casual fan of metal or a die hard Megadeth fan, this DVD is a metal treat, worth the buy.