Overall, Rude Awakening is a good concert DVD. The significance of both the DVD and the live CD of the same name is that they were released the same year Megadeth disbanded, when front-man Dave Mustaine underwent therapy for nerve damage to his left arm. At the time of its 2002 release, few realized just how prophetic the title would be. It was their swan song - that is, until contractual obligations resulted in their reformation in 2004. By then, Dave had completed his physical therapy.
The concert was recorded during Megadeth's 2001 tour, while they were promoting their album The World Needs A Hero. In this show, they opened with "Dread and the Fugitive Mind" and closed with "Holy Wars." Other songs performed included: "Angry Again," "Hangar 18," "Trust," "Symphony of Destruction," and "Peace Sells."
It pleases me to know that the concert CD won a Metal Edge Readers' Choice Award. In 2002, readers of the now-defunct magazine voted Rude Awakening for "Compilation/Live Album of the Year," undoubtedly believing it would be Megadeth's final album. Thankfully, they thought wrong, but it was still great to see Megadeth win such an award.
