Megadeth front man looks back on Arizona

Dave Mustaine, front man of the ’80s-spawned metal band Megadeth, spent a decade in Scottsdale before moving his family to his native San Diego.

Despite making a move that many Arizonans would envy as temperatures rise, Mustaine says he occasionally longs for the desert.

“I lived in Arizona for a very long time, and it always is very confusing for me spiritually coming back there because part of it is my home and always will be,” says Mustaine, who brings the third edition of his five-act Gigantour to Mesa on Thursday.

Mustaine was a big Arizona Diamondbacks fan, playing golf with Randy Johnson, who can be spotted at metal and hard-rock shows. The guitarist-singer held season tickets for the Phoenix Coyotes, and his son, Justis, was hooked on hockey.