Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson recalled attending a Metallica show at the Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey in 1986, when he had a backstage conversation with Cliff Burton just months before the bassist’s death, in a post shared via Instagram.
Ellefson was in New York with Megadeth at the time to meet with a new manager and record label representatives. He was taken to the Meadowlands to see Metallica perform on their Master of Puppets tour. After the show, he spoke with Burton backstage about the bassist’s work on Metallica’s albums.
“Last night, I was driving down the freeway listening to Maximum Metallica on SiriusXM when a live version of ‘Damage, Inc.’ came on from their April 21, 1986 performance at the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey,” Ellefson said. “Small world…I was actually at that show!”
Ellefson explained the context of his trip. “Megadeth had just finished recording what would become Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? for Combat Records, and Dave Mustaine and I headed to New York City to meet with a new manager, Keith Rawls. While we were there, Michael Alago from Elektra Records was also courting us to sign with the label. Michael, of course, was responsible for signing both Metallica and Metal Church to Elektra.”
“After showing us around NYC and wining and dining us that week, Michael took us over to the Meadowlands to see Metallica on the Master of Puppets tour, opening for Ozzy Osbourne on The Ultimate Sin tour,” he continued.
Ellefson described his impressions of the concert itself. “I distinctly remember standing at the back of the arena watching them play this very song. It was interesting hearing how the music translated in a room that size. To my ears, some of the faster material got swallowed up in the arena, while heavier, slower songs like ‘Welcome Home (Sanitarium)’ and ‘Leper Messiah’ really carried through the place!”
The backstage meeting with Burton made a lasting impression. “Afterward, Dave, Michael and I went backstage, where I had a great conversation with Cliff Burton about his composing on Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets. Sadly, that would be the last time I would see or speak with Cliff before the bus accident that took his life that September.”
Ellefson added that the experience shaped his hopes for Megadeth’s future. “Seeing how big Metallica had become was inspiring. I remember hoping Megadeth would soon get the opportunity to play arenas like that, too. Our day came the following year when Alice Cooper took us out on the Constrictor tour. Just weeks after that NYC trip, we signed with Capitol Music, which became the home for Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? And the rest, as they say, is history! Pretty amazing how one song on the radio can take you right back to standing in that arena 40 years ago….”
Ellefson made these remarks while reflecting on a radio replay of Metallica’s performance from that April night in 1986. The memory connects a pivotal moment in Megadeth’s early career to Burton’s death later that year.
Burton was Metallica’s bassist from December 1982 until his death on September 27, 1986, when he died in a bus accident in Kronoberg County, a rural area of southern Sweden. The accident occurred as the band toured in support of the Master of Puppets album. Burton had played on Metallica’s first three studio albums: Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets, and he received songwriting credit on six of the eight songs on Ride the Lightning, helping to introduce music theory to the band.
The April 21, 1986 show that Ellefson attended was part of the Damage Inc. Tour, Metallica’s fourth concert tour, which began in spring 1986. During the early months of the tour, Metallica opened for Ozzy Osbourne before becoming the headlining act from September onward. Just weeks after Ellefson’s backstage conversation with Burton, Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? was released on September 19, 1986, initially through Combat Records before Capitol Records acquired the rights to the album.
Following Ellefson’s observation of Metallica’s arena success, Megadeth’s own career took a similar upward turn. In February 1987, Megadeth opened for Alice Cooper on his Constrictor tour, bringing their newly released Peace Sells album to larger venues and audiences. This opportunity came shortly after the New York trip and Ellefson’s inspiring glimpse of how far Metallica had progressed as performers.
