32 years ago today on 2/17/84, Megadeth played their first-ever show at Ruthie’s Inn in Berkeley, California. The pioneering thrash band was formed in 1983 by guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson, shortly after Mustaine’s dismissal from Metallica. In 1985, the band released its debut album, Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good!, on the independent label Combat Records. The band has since had a revolving door of members, aside from mainstay Mustaine, and has earned a devoted following and ne of the few bands of the 1980s American underground metal scene to have achieved mass commercial success. Although there is no film of this first show, check out this video of the band playing a couple months later in Berkeley.
