MEGADETH performed the song “Washington Is Next!” live for the first time since 2009 during the band’s August 24 concert at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

According to Setlist.fm, the setlist for the concert was as follows:

01. The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!
02. Dread And The Fugitive Mind
03. Angry Again
04. Hangar 18
05. She-Wolf
06. Washington Is Next! (first time since 2009)
07. Skin O’ My Teeth
08. Liar
09. Sweating Bullets
10. Countdown To Extinction
11. Trust
12. Tornado Of Souls
13. We’ll Be Back
14. Symphony Of Destruction
15. Mechanix
16. Peace Sells

Encore:

17. Holy Wars… The Punishment Due

“Washington Is Next!” originally appeared on MEGADETH‘s eleventh studio album, “United Abominations”, which was released in May 2007 via Roadrunner Records.

MEGADETH kicked off the “Destroy All Enemies” summer 2024 U.S. tour on August 2 at Walmart AMP, Rogers, Arkansas. Produced by Live Nation, the trek, which features MUDVAYNE and ALL THAT REMAINS as support, is hitting 33 cities, including Las Vegas, Boston and St. Louis, before wrapping up on September 28 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Finnish guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari joined MEGADETH last September after the band’s longtime axeman Kiko Loureiro, announced earlier that month that he would sit out the next leg of MEGADETH‘s “Crush The World” tour in order to stay home with his children back in Finland. It was later revealed that Mäntysaari would continue to play guitar for MEGADETH for the foreseeable future, with Loureiro seemingly having no plans to return.

The 37-year-old Mäntysaari was born in Tampere, Finland and began playing guitar at the age of 12. In 2004, he joined the band WINTERSUN. He has also been a member of SMACKBOUND since 2015.

MEGADETH played its first concert with Mäntysaari on September 6, 2023 at Revel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Loureiro officially joined MEGADETH in April 2015, about five months after Chris Broderick‘s exit from the group.

Since its inception in 1983, MEGADETH has ascended from its raw thrash metal roots to become an unstoppable force in the heavy metal world. With founder Dave Mustaine at the helm, MEGADETH‘s journey has been marked by a penchant for pushing the boundaries of speed, technicality, and complexity in their music. Their groundbreaking album “Rust In Peace”, released in 1990, is frequently cited as a seminal work in the thrash metal genre. Along with the critically acclaimed “Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?”, it cemented MEGADETH‘s place in the annals of metal history.

Over four decades, the band’s discography has earned numerous certifications, including platinum and multi-platinum awards, with albums like “Countdown To Extinction” and “Youthanasia” achieving widespread critical acclaim. 2016’s “Dystopia” not only marked a high point with their first Grammy Award for “Best Metal Performance” after twelve nominations but also set the stage for their latest triumph, “The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!” in 2022. MEGADETH‘s status as part of the “Big Four” of thrash metal underscores their trailblazing role in the genre, laying the groundwork for countless bands and musicians who have followed in their wake.

In a 15-page opinion, Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer sided with the Pennsylvania secretary of state’s office in rejecting West’s candidacy paperwork.

The secretary of state’s office said the paperwork lacked the affidavits for 14 of the 19 presidential electors required by the Aug. 1 filing deadline.

Jubelirer, a Republican, agreed that minor-party presidential electors should be considered candidates for office and must file affidavits, even if major-party presidential electors are not.

Matthew Haverstick, West’s lawyer who is referred to as the “counsel of choice for state Republicans in a number of recent policy fights,” argued in the now-failed legal challenge that he saw “no good reason for Mr. West to be kept off the ballot or Pennsylvanians otherwise prevented from voting for him.”

The Pennsylvania presidential election is expected to be very close, with former President Donald Trump leading Vice President Kamala Harris in a two-way race by less than 1 percentage point, 47.7% to 47.5%, according to RealClearPolitics. With third-party candidates included, Harris leads Trump by 2 percentage points in the state, 46.3% to 44.3%. In that poll, West received 0.2%.

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The ruling on West’s ballot access came on the same day independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Trump. Kennedy will remain on the ballot in states that are either reliably red or reliably blue but will remove his name from battleground states that will swing the election, including Pennsylvania and Arizona.

It is unclear whether Haverstick will appeal the court’s ruling to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

The Washington Commanders will build a statue to honor their late former safety, Sean Taylor, two years after unveiling a memorial installation that was criticized by their fans — and has already been permanently removed.

Taylor, whose No. 21 was retired in 2022, becomes the organization’s first former player to be memorialized with a statue. Taylor’s daughter, Jackie, will be involved in helping design the statue. She was 18 months old when he was murdered in November 2007.

“I’m just thankful for the whole process,” said Taylor, a freshman volleyball player at North Carolina who wears her father’s former number. “I think the fans will really enjoy what they’re going to see and getting the second opportunity, you don’t really get many second opportunities. The fact that we’re able to get a second opportunity is nice … There’s a lot of excitement.”

Taylor made it clear that her family was appreciative of the previous memorial installation, which was displayed inside the stadium.

“Any opportunity we get to honor my dad, we’re going to take it positively,” she said in a video conference call.

But many fans felt different, pointing out that the initial installation failed to include the proper jersey (Reebok instead of Nike) and that they didn’t apply pieces of tape all over his facemask — as Taylor did while playing. The organization soon altered the installation to include these changes, as well as using the proper style of socks and cleats.

The Commanders informed the Taylor family that the installation has been removed. Washington hosts New England in the final preseason game Sunday night.

“After careful consideration, we have decided as an organization to remove the Sean Taylor installation from Commanders Field,” a team spokesperson said in a statement. “We realize that the installation fell short in honoring one of our franchise’s most iconic players. Together with the Taylor family, we are working on a plan, which includes unveiling a statue that will rightfully celebrate the legacy and impact that Sean had on our organization, fanbase and community. The Washington Commanders are committed to honoring our legends in a first-class manner.”

There is no set date to unveil the statue; the team will soon meet with the sculptor, according to a team source. The source also said they plan to “honor our legends” in future years, including whenever they move to a new stadium. The team has not yet settled on a new site but have targeted 2030 as to when they’d like to open their next stadium.

Taylor also said in a statement that she was “filled with gratitude that my dad will forever be a part of the burgundy and golf family.”

Washington will retire Hall of Famer Darrell Green’s No. 28 at halftime of a Week 7 game vs. Carolina. The organization also has retired the jersey numbers of Sammy Baugh (33), Bobby Mitchell (49) and Sonny Jurgensen (9).

A group led by Josh Harris bought the team from Dan Snyder in July 2023; Snyder had been close with the Taylor family.

Taylor played for Washington from 2004 to 2007, becoming one of the organization’s most popular players for a new generation.

Numerous NFL safeties have worn his No. 21 since his death — including former Washington safety Landon Collins while he was with the New York Giants — often citing his style of play as the reason.

At 6-foot-2, 230 pounds Taylor was an intimidating presence in the middle of the field. He was considered a hard-hitting safety capable of big plays. He intercepted five passes in nine games of the 2007 season.