With the evolution of technology, bands are opting to bring live recordings into a studio and do all manner of studio tweaks, from completely re-recording parts to adding effects that weren’t heard live, and generally sucking the life right out of an otherwise great performance. With too much life-draining studio “magic” applied after the fact, That One Night comes off more like a collection of studio takes with crowd noise dubbed in than a true live recording. Though I admit that when the crowd starts chanting along in unison, it does sound very cool, especially when they’re chanting the riffs or singing along to a guitar solo! I can understand why Dave finds these fans so special. For the most part, because the songs aren’t changed much, if at all, from their studio counterparts, That One Night plays like a greatest hits album; and at this point we surely don’t need another hits collection from Megadeth (not that we needed another live album, either). The selection of material stretches back to 1986's Peace Sells...But Who’s Buying? album with “Wake Up Dead” to their latest release at the time, The System Has Failed. Sadly, Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good is not represented here. Nor is Risk, though that’s not surprising. The inclusion of “Angry Again” and the heavier version of “A Tout Le Monde” (sans female vocals) are both great additions.

Mustaine may not be the greatest vocalist in the world, but he sure is stronger than he was in Megadeth’s early days. The problem is when singing the older, more aggressive material, Dave doesn’t sound nearly as convincing; he’s lost his signature metal snarl and is opting for a cleaner vocal style. This doesn’t work all the time, as Dave sounds horrible singing in a higher register on “Reckoning Day,” and the a cappella “Coming Home To Argentina” is largely worthless to most fans. While I feel like this album fails at being a powerful and engaging live album, it is enjoyable. Maybe having been there would make this more enjoyable; possibly seeing this show on DVD instead of just the audio portion would lend a stronger feeling to the recordings. Or maybe it’s just a bland recording of a concert that meant more to Dave Mustaine and those there that night. That One Night: Live In Buenos Aires is far from bad, but if you already own Rude Awakening, there’s really not a whole lot you haven’t heard here (just the tracks from The System Has Failed). Good, but not essential.

written by Ken Wood

Playing time: 98:29