The mild men of rock

A distant thunder heralded the arrival of some of the world's hardest-rockin' performers in the world of rawk. After a few minutes a fleet of black Harley-Davidson ridden by men in leather waistcoats and wraparound shades chugged towards the huddle of media folk on the patio of the Rattlesnake bar.

The riders got off and formed their own expectant gaggle on the lawn. But still no sign of the bands. Finally, out of a distant taxi appeared the familiar blond locks of Megadeth's Dave Mustaine.

"Shouldn't we be screaming?" a teenage rock chick asked her companion.

Rare

For anyone growing up in Dubai it was a rare opportunity to see a rock legend up close. But, in truth, we were all a bit edgy. As Mustaine ducked from the noonday sun into the incongruous gloom of the Rattlesnake, a diverse mob of fans, hacks and bikers set up in hasty pursuit.

In business terms Dubai might strut like Marlon Brando, but in terms of rock it is an embarrassing elderly aunt. And the line-up this year's Desert Rock features a grizzled veteran who left us all a bit starstruck.

"If anyone asks Mustaine about Metallica, he's gonna get his a** kicked," muttered one of a group of young men in suspiciously well-laundered tee-shirts bearing messages like "Pleasure to Kill" and "Cannibal Corpse".

Sidekicks

On the middle of the press conference table was Mustaine and three equally hairy sidekicks, all wearing shades. On one side were Reel Big Fish - looking by comparison skinny and extremely fresh-faced. On the other were 3 Doors Down - alternative rocking good ole boys from Mississippi. By them were the Dubai's talented but absurdly young Nu-rockers Mannikind, who told me they had skipped school on the basis of feeling unwell.

However, all eyes were on the enigmatically pursed lips of Dave Mustaine. The volatile leader of pioneering thrash band Megadeth has a reputation for carrying in his head enough demons to stock a rack of Death Metal album covers. Now, the real question was, was anyone going to set them off?

Start

Almost from the start, though, it was evident that there was nothing to fear. Despite a microphone that fed back like a stratocaster rammed against a Marshall stack, Mustaine remained courteous and calm.

"I signed a paper before I came here saying I wouldn't talk about politics," was how he politely fended off an attempt to draw out his views.

On his wild substance-abusing past he gave a sage advice. "If you're really f***ed up it makes the music sound good, but it really isn't," he said.

Far cry

It was a far cry from the Mustaine who allegedly once required a police escort to Belfast airport after dedicating a song to the IRA. Still, the sense of relief was heady. Nervous little bursts of applause were triggered throughout the press conference at odd moments - on one occasion after an interviewer told Mustaine that he liked one of his albums.

After the last question, the scrimmage of fans descended on the bands. As I wandered off Mustaine remained to chat, apparently contentedly. One youth was clearly too flustered to operate his camera. Mustaine took it and, holding it out at arm's length, locked heads with the fan and politely clicked for him.