Are you going?
As specified in a post a couple of months ago, the Gigantour for 2013 will of course feature a headlining Megadeth and joining them for the run this year will be Black Label Society, Device, Hellyeah, Newsted, and Death Division. I’m sure that BLS needs no introduction but perhaps fans need to know a little bit more about Device (this is Dave Draiman’s new project), Hellyeah (the super group that features members of Mudvayne, Damageplan, Nothingface and Pantera) and Death Division (a band that finds Tim Yeung and Jerry Montano working together as a new face in Metal), then there is Newsted which is the band fronted by former Metallica, former Voivod and Echobrain bassist – Jason Newsted (I think his track record speaks for itself so I shall say no more); Did the lineup send you to the ticket purchasing mediums immediately? Oh yeah, here is that official press copy once again…
“GIGANTOUR–the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by MEGADETH’s Dave Mustaine—returns in 2013 with an incredible new line-up for the tour. In addition to headliner MEGADETH, the multi-artist bill features metal heavyweights BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, DEVICE, HELLYEAH, NEWSTED and DEATH DIVISION, all personally picked by MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine. GIGANTOUR “This year’s power-packed lineup is probably the best Gigantour yet, and we’ve had some pretty massive Gigantours over the years. Gigantour 2013 brings four of my favorite bands, each centered around a superstar. With Zakk, David, Vinnie, and Jason there are going to be fans from Ozzy to Disturbed to Pantera to Metallica and everything that’s metal in-between! Don’t miss the metal festival of the summer!” says Mustaine. He founded the tour in 2005 and over the years has had established artists such as Volbeat, Motorhead, Anthrax, Fear Factory and Dream Theater, as well as giving (then) up-and-coming artists Lacuna Coil, Into Eternity and Sanctity their first break on a national festival tour. GIGANTOUR 2013 continues with this tradition.”
Which region will you be seeing for this event if you are going or for that matter why did you choose to bypass it if that is what ended up happening. It’s too early to tell if I will be hitting one or both of the regional NYC shows that we are getting. Apparently the tour is being split into two for the Big Apple which I found a little strange. Once again here are the tour dates so you can mark your calendar about it if you have not yet done so.
TOUR DATES
07/03 Gilford, NH – Meadowbrook
07/05 Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
07/06 Canandaigua, NY – Marvin Sands PAC
07/08 Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
07/09 Chicago, IL – Allstate Arena
07/10 Youngstown, OH – Covelli Center
07/12 Dallas, TX – TBA
07/13 Lubbock, TX – Lonestar Amphitheatre
07/14 Corpus Christi, TX – Concrete Street Amphitheatre
07/16 Oklahoma City, OK – Zoo Amphitheatre
07/18 Bloomington, IL – US Cellular Coliseum
07/19 Milwaukee, WI – Eagles Ballroom
07/20 Cadott, WI – Chippewa Valley Music Festival
07/22 Winnipeg, MB – MTS Center
07/23 Calgary, AB – Stampede Corral
07/26 Edmonton, AB – Rexall Place
07/27 Dawson Creek, BC – EnCana Events Centre
07/29 Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Entertainment Center
07/30 Everett, WA – Comcast Arena
08/01 West Valley City, UT – Maverik Center
08/02 Denver, CO – 1st Bank Center
08/04 Fargo, ND – Scheels Arena
08/06 New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
08/07 New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
08/09 Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center
08/10 Montreal, QC – Heavy MTL
08/11 Toronto, ON – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
I’m very interested in what the readers think about this year’s go round so I have left the comments open for you to indulge us with your wisdom.
Official Links:
Gigantour: http://www.gigantour.com
Megadeth: http://www.megadeth.com
Hellyeah: http://www.hellyeahband.com/
Black Label Society: http://blacklabelsociety.com/home/
Device: http://deviceband.com/
Newsted: http://newstedheavymetal.com/
Death Division: https://www.facebook.com/DeathDivision
PiercingMetal’s past coverage of the Gigantour can be enjoyed via THIS LINK. I enjoyed those events for sure but sadly also missed a couple of them so for those stories you must seek out other websites or blogs. Sorry about that. Also, I’ve embedded a bunch of recordings from both Megadeth and a number of the support acts for your examination. Perhaps they will enhance your interest in attending the tour or adding to the music library.