Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman has been announced as the special guest for Megadeth's They Only Come Out at Night event, a livestreamed show scheduled for Tokyo's iconic Budokan hall on February 27.
The show will be Megadeth's first ever performance at Budokan, and frontman Dave Mustaine has told Rolling Stone that Friedman will join the band onstage for three songs during the encore.
The performance will be streamed at 6pm Tokyo-time (JST) / 9am London (GMT) / 4am (ET) / 1am (PT), and will be available to watch on-demand for two days after the event..
“Marty and I have remained friends over 23 years, since we last played together, says Mustaine. "However, I hear his music every night, and he still is among the top guitar players I’ve ever heard. This is an amazing treat for the fans, as well as myself. I am going to enjoy this as much as the fans are, and I’m sure many of you will catch me sneaking a peek during Marty’s appearance. Domo arigato, Marty-San!”
“It has been a long time. 23 years to be exact since I've been on the same stage with Dave Mustaine making music," adds Friedman. "We've both taken drastically different paths since then. That doesn't change the fact that I'm extremely proud of the part that I played in Megadeth`s history and legacy.
"I'm also very, very proud of the band's many great achievements and continued success in my absence. For right now, I just feel immense joy and some serious adrenaline. I am looking forward to playing with Megadeth at this very cool place, The Budokan."
Livestream tickets are on sale now.
Meanwhile, Friedman – who has lived in Tokyo for two decades – has released a video for 日本遺産プロモーション映像 (Japanese Heritage Official Theme Song), which he hopes will show a side of Japan rarely seen by international visitors.
"Japan is a small country with so much cool stuff packed tightly in it, it is truly a feast for your imagination," says Friedman. "Every culture has its own beautiful traits and Japan is certainly no exception. I am excited to show you my musical interpretation of Japan as a foreigner who has been here quite some time. If it resonates with you even a tiny bit, I'll be thrilled."
