Gigantour was a sporadically organized traveling heavy metal music festival organized by Dave Mustaine of Megadeth. The tour was founded in 2005 with dates across North America (see also Gigantour 2005), and the 2006 and 2007 line-ups also traveled to Australia. The bands appearing at the festival were chosen by Mustaine.[1] The tour is set as an alternative to tours such as Ozzfest.[2] The name "Gigantour" was inspired by the classic 1960s anime Gigantor, of which Mustaine is a fan.[1] The last Gigantour took place in 2013.
| Tour by Megadeth (See: full listing) | |
 The Gigantour 2005 web banner, before Anthrax was announced to join the festival | |
| Date(s) | July 21 – September 11, 2005 September 6 – October 24, 2006 November 10, 2007 – May 22, 2008 January – March 2012 |
|---|---|
| Legs | 7 |
The Festival
editThe lineup of the inaugural Gigantour was composed of bands that Dave Mustaine particularly enjoyed touring with in the past. Mustaine invited Dream Theater, Nevermore and Overkill. The subsequent editions of Gigantour also featured Mustaine's personal choices, such as Anthrax, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Fear Factory.
Festival album
editA live album culled from Gigantour festival shows in Montreal (September 2, 2005) and Vancouver (September 9, 2005) was released on CD on August 22, 2006, and on DVD on September 5, 2006. The album has performances by Megadeth, Dream Theater, Anthrax, Fear Factory, Life of Agony, Nevermore, Dry Kill Logic, Symphony X and Bobaflex.
Gigantour 2: North America (2006)
editLine-up
editMain stage
editMegadeth, Lamb of God, Opeth, Arch Enemy
Second stage
editOverkill, Into Eternity, Sanctity, The SmashUp
Tour dates
editNotable events
editGuest singers
editAt the September 23 show in Columbus, Ohio, Angela Gossow joined Megadeth onstage during the second half of "Peace Sells". Earlier in the show, during Overkill's final song, two members of Lamb of God joined them onstage.[citation needed].
At the September 25 show in Toronto, Angela Gossow, Randy Blythe, and Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth joined Megadeth on stage and sang the final part of "Peace Sells" with him.
Lack of a second stage on some tour stops
editAt the September 9 show in San Diego, September 13 show in Phoenix, Arizona, September 24 in Clarkston, Michigan, and September 29 show in Boston there was no second stage. The bands that performed were, in order of appearance, Overkill, Arch Enemy, Opeth, Lamb of God, and Megadeth.
Mike Portnoy jams with Overkill
editSeptember 30, 2006 – Holmdel
editMike Portnoy from Dream Theater joined Overkill on stage for their song "Elimination".
Molson Amphitheater
editWhile playing in the September 25 show in Toronto, Canada towards the beginning of Megadeth's set, Dave Mustaine had some technical problems relating to his guitar, resulting in him throwing it across the stage and walking off. The band then finished the song without Mustaine, and then followed him offstage. After fifteen minutes of chanting from the crowd, Megadeth finally returned to the stage, and with a brief apology from Dave, continued playing through their set.
Salt Lake City/Ecenter
editWhile Lamb of God was on stage performing, someone spilled beer all over the mixing desk, which did not interfere with the band's set. However, Megadeth received some technical problems during their second set. Dave Mustaine got angry and threatened to "beat the hell out of whoever did it" and asked the crowd to bring the culprit to him. Dave then walked off stage for roughly 20 minutes until the problem was fixed. This can be seen in the special features of the Gigantour 2 DVD.
Gigantour 2: Australia (2006)
editLine-up
editMegadeth, Soulfly, Arch Enemy, Caliban
Tour dates
edit| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 21, 2006 | Brisbane | Australia | Riverstage |
| October 22, 2006 | Sydney | Hordern Pavilion | |
| October 24, 2006 | Melbourne | Festival Hall |
Gigantour 3: Australia (2007)
editLine-up
editMegadeth, Static-X, Lacuna Coil, DevilDriver, Bring Me the Horizon
Tour dates
edit| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 10, 2007 | Perth | Australia | Metro City |
| November 12, 2007 | Adelaide | Thebarton Theatre | |
| November 13, 2007 | Melbourne | Festival Hall | |
| November 15, 2007 | Sydney | Luna Park Big Top | |
| November 16, 2007 | |||
| November 18, 2007 | Brisbane | Riverstage |
Gigantour 3: UK (2008)
editLine-up
editMegadeth, Job for a Cowboy, Evile
Tour dates
edit| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 17, 2008 | Norwich | England | UEA |
| November 18, 2008 | Nottingham | Nottingham Rock City | |
| November 19, 2008 | Glasgow | Scotland | Carling Academy Glasgow |
| November 20, 2008 | Newcastle | England | Carling Academy Newcastle |
| November 22, 2008 | Birmingham | Carling Academy Birmingham | |
| November 23, 2008 | Manchester | Manchester Academy | |
| November 24, 2008 | London | Brixton Academy |
Gigantour 3: North America (2008)
editLine-up
editMegadeth, In Flames, Children of Bodom, Job for a Cowboy, High on Fire.
Dave Mustaine wanted a shorter lineup so each band had a chance to put on a show.
Tour dates
edit| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 12, 2008 | Denver | United States | The Fillmore |
| April 13, 2008 | Albuquerque | Journal Pavilion | |
| April 15, 2008 | Grand Prairie | Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie | |
| April 16, 2008 | Corpus Christi | Concrete Street Pavilion | |
| April 17, 2008 | Houston | Verizon Wireless Theater | |
| April 19, 2008 | Louisville | Louisville Gardens | |
| April 20, 2008 | Atlanta | Masquerade Music Park | |
| April 22, 2008 | New York City | Hammerstein Ballroom | |
| April 23, 2008 | |||
| April 25, 2008 | Worcester | Worcester Palladium | |
| April 26, 2008 | Columbia | Merriweather Post Pavilion | |
| April 28, 2008 | Quebec City | Canada | Pavilion De La Jeunesse |
| April 29, 2008 | Montreal | Bell Centre | |
| April 30, 2008 | Toronto | Arrow Hall | |
| May 1, 2008 | London | John Labatt Centre | |
| May 3, 2008 | Clarkston | United States | DTE Energy Music Theatre |
| May 4, 2008 | Cleveland | Time Warner Cable Amphitheater | |
| May 6, 2008 | Chicago | Aragon Ballroom | |
| May 7, 2008 | Milwaukee | Eagles Ballroom | |
| May 9, 2008 | Minneapolis | Myth | |
| May 10, 2008 | Winnipeg | Canada | Winnipeg Convention Centre |
| May 11, 2008 | Saskatoon | Prairieland Exhibition Hall | |
| May 12, 2008 | Edmonton | Shaw Conference Centre | |
| May 14, 2008 | Calgary | The Corral | |
| May 16, 2008 | Vancouver | Pacific Coliseum | |
| May 17, 2008 | Salem | United States | Salem Armory |
| May 19, 2008 | San Jose | Event Center @ San Jose State | |
| May 20, 2008 | San Diego | Cox Arena | |
| May 21, 2008 | Long Beach | Long Beach Arena | |
| May 22, 2008 | Mesa | Mesa Amphitheatre |
Gigantour 4 (2012)
editLine-up
editMegadeth confirmed, on September 27, 2011, that Motörhead, Volbeat, and Lacuna Coil would be included in the next Gigantour that was set for early 2012.[3][4]
Tour dates
editMegadeth announced, on November 2, 2011, Gigantour 2012 tour dates .
Gigantour 5 (2013)
editLine-up
editMegadeth, Black Label Society, Device, Hellyeah, Newsted, and Death Division
Tour dates
edit| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 3, 2013 | Gilford | United States | Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion |
| July 5, 2013 | Uncasville | Mohegan Sun Arena | |
| July 6, 2013 | Canandaigua | Marvin Sands PAC | |
| July 8, 2013 | Clarkston | DTE Energy Music Theatre | |
| July 9, 2013 | Rosemont | Allstate Arena | |
| July 10, 2013 | Youngstown | Covelli Center | |
| July 12, 2013 | Dallas | Gexa Energy Pavilion | |
| July 13, 2013 | Lubbock | Lonestar Amphitheatre | |
| July 14, 2013 | Corpus Christi | Concrete Street Amphitheatre | |
| July 16, 2013 | Oklahoma City | Zoo Amphitheatre | |
| July 18, 2013 | Bloomington | U.S. Cellular Coliseum | |
| July 19, 2013 | Milwaukee | Eagles Ballroom | |
| July 20, 2013 | Cadott | Chippewa Valley Music Festival | |
| July 22, 2013 | Winnipeg | Canada | MTS Centre |
| July 23, 2013 | Calgary | Stampede Corral | |
| July 26, 2013 | Edmonton | Rexall Place | |
| July 27, 2013 | Dawson Creek | EnCana Events Centre | |
| July 29, 2013 | Abbotsford | Abbotsford Entertainment Center | |
| July 30, 2013 | Everett | United States | Comcast Arena |
| August 1, 2013 | West Valley City | Maverik Center | |
| August 2, 2013 | Denver | 1st Bank Center | |
| August 4, 2013 | Fargo | Scheels Arena (canceled) | |
| August 7, 2013 | New York City | Hammerstein Ballroom | |
| August 9, 2013 | Camden | Susquehanna Bank Center | |
| August 10, 2013 | Montreal | Canada | Heavy MONTRÉAL |
| August 11, 2013 | Toronto | Molson Canadian Amphitheatre |
Notable incidents
editDue to frontman Jason Newsted being diagnosed with walking pneumonia, Newsted dropped off the bill from July 22–29.
On the last show of the tour, Newsted joined Megadeth to sing vocals on Metallica's "Phantom Lord" (A song originally written by Mustaine).
Gigantour history summary
edit| Dates | Concerts | Region toured | Bands |
|---|---|---|---|
| July–September 2005 | 39 | United States, Canada | Main stage: Megadeth, Dream Theater (34 dates), Anthrax (5 dates), Fear Factory, The Dillinger Escape Plan (31 dates), Nevermore
Second stage: Life of Agony, Symphony X, Dry Kill Logic, Bobaflex |
| September–October 2006 | 25 | United States, Canada | Main stage: Megadeth, Lamb of God, Opeth, Arch Enemy
Second stage: Overkill, Into Eternity, Sanctity, The SmashUp |
| October 2006 | 3 | Australia | Megadeth, Soulfly, Arch Enemy, Caliban |
| November 2007 | 6 | Australia | Megadeth, Static-X, Lacuna Coil, DevilDriver, Bring Me the Horizon (3 dates) |
| February 2008 | 7 | United Kingdom | Megadeth, Job for a Cowboy, Evile |
| April–May 2008 | 30 | United States, Canada | Megadeth, In Flames, Children of Bodom, Job for a Cowboy, High on Fire |
| January–March 2012 | 27 | United States, Canada | Megadeth, Motörhead, Volbeat, Lacuna Coil |
| July–August 2013 | 26 | United States, Canada | Megadeth, Black Label Society, Hellyeah, Device, Newsted, Death Division |
Discography
editCD releases
edit- Gigantour (2006)
- Gigantour, Vol. 2 (2008)
DVD releases
edit- Gigantour (2006)
- Gigantour 2 (2008)
References
edit- ^ a b "Dave Mustaine's Gigantour" (Press release). Megadeth.com. April 5, 2005. Archived from the original on April 2, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2009.
- ^ Harris, Chris (June 9, 2005). "Metal File: Megadeth, Zakk Wylde, American Head Charge, Twisted Sister & More". MTV News. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved March 25, 2009.
- ^ Volledige naam. "Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
- ^ "MEGADETH TO RE-LAUNCH 'GIGANTOUR' FOR FIRST TIME IN NEARLY FOUR YEARS". Megadeth.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2011.