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Continue reading Megadeth’s “Gigantour 2013” Begins Today (7/3/2013)
Megadeth’s “Gigantour 2013” Begins Today (7/3/2013)
Tag Archives: gigantour
Presenting The “Gigantour 2013” Dates & Lineup
In keeping with my practice of broadcasting the occasional big touring event I wanted to direct our readers attention to the recently announced “Gigantour 2013” which many know as being the concert series that is masterminded by Dave Mustaine and his merry mates in Megadeth. I’ll have more information for you after the poster below and its jump 🙂
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. 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 Morano 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); So what does everyone think of the lineup? Oh yeah, here is some of the official press copy before I continue….
Continue reading Presenting The “Gigantour 2013” Dates & Lineup
PiercingMetal’s “Best Of Decade”: 2000-2009: The Concerts
As I’ve previously noted, we’ve always aimed to deliver a year end “Best Of” list and with the end of the decade just having happened, it’s time to continue our thoughts about what was the “Best Of The Decade” from 2000-2009 – I’ve already doled out the Music and Video picks and now it’s time to get into the live concerts that we found the most enjoyable over the past ten years.
I was not really planning on doing a decade spanning concert “best of” but many of the readers of the site had sent me emails after the list posted inquiring about those events which I thought were the biggest highlights to me. Based on the interest, I figured that it was better to append the article to also feature this information of be stuck answering emails over and over. I’ve been fortunate as a writer and photographer to get to enjoy a large number of shows and I hope that you enjoy the list I came up with.
Van Halen @ Madison Square Garden (Warner Music Group): The Brothers Van Halen reunited with David Lee Roth made this one of the highlights of my decade. Yes Michael Anthony was no longer a part of the band but I could live with that since it gave me back Dave. The hits were non-stop at the show and I think I watched it five feet above the floor where my seat was. Everyone in NYC was dancing the night away that’s for sure.
Iron Maiden @ Madison Square Garden (EMI Music): This show was for the “Brave New World” CD that many loved for bringing back Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith into the fold. I loved it for its amazing level of energy and how it showed just how good Maiden was and the fact that it had Rob Halford as the opener and Queensryche. OK I admit that I didn’t feel the Ryche were all that good that night and were rather slow after the Halford set. It was fantastic seeing Rob’s then new band in action of course as he was still years away from rejoining Judas Priest.
The Gathering @ The Knitting Factory (The End Records): I was a casual fan of The Gathering and my buddies who went to the show with me were much more into them, but seeing them in this smaller space was fantastic. Very moody and atmospheric stuff and done well in the live sense. Anneke sang like a siren and one of the openers was an unknown group called Unexpect. I’ve been a supporter of theirs since that night and feel that this appearance gave me a heads up on a terrific band many years before the rest of the folks would catch on.
HIM @ The Bowery Ballroom (Universal Music): While working at one of the investment banks from hell I scanned a video for HIM which was “Join Me In Death” and I was hooked and did my best to find a couple of the bands albums. Their first show on US soil in NYC would be at The Bowery Ballroom and the two nights were close to sold out. We caught the first show I believe but its been awhile and in any case it was amazing to see HIM in such an intimate room. Going forward we would watch the band play larger places each time and having all of the shows sell out well in advance.
Kamelot @ B.B. King Blues Club (SPV Records): I am referring to the first time that I ever caught Kamelot performing at B.B. King Blues Club and not one of the other four times. I was very new to the band and how they did things but it was a smoking show and one that made many fans for the guys who would rally to their cause in the future. They continue to impress the masses and we love them for it.
Continue reading PiercingMetal’s “Best Of Decade”: 2000-2009: The Concerts
Megadeth’s “Gigantour” @ Hammerstein Ballroom (4/22/2008)
Artist: Megadeth
Venue: Hammerstein Ballroom (New York, NY)
Opener: In Flames, Children Of Bodom, Job For A Cowboy, High On Fire
Date: 4/22/2008
Label: Roadrunner Records
They say that the third time is the charm and I would have to agree with this being the case as Dave Mustaine and his merry mates in Megadeth set out on their latest go round of Gigantour. As expected, the lineup would be a veritable powerhouse of Heavy Metal acts and their selection would follow in the tradition of quality that the guitarist had built with his two earlier tours of this kind. The first Gigantour found Megadeth doing a co-headlining situation with Dream Theater and there were a number of other bands to enjoy along with them (Nevermore, Symphony X, Dillinger Escape Plan, Life Of Agony, Fear Factory, Bobaflex and Drykill Logic). Cool as it seemed, nine bands was a lot to deal with so when the second round came about there were a couple less. You didn’t need more than what was delivered for that run since you had the Megas supported by the likes of Lamb Of God, Opeth and Arch Enemy, so it was going to be interesting to see who made the Mustaine cut for the third jaunt. Sweden’s In Flames would be the direct support and before them we had Children Of Bodom, Job For A Cowboy and High On Fire. To many these four bands were a good but not amazingly incredible choice because outside of the main three acts, the other two were still considered up and comers who not as many had heard about. The second Gigantour featured Into Eternity who was a rising star of the day but since so many people had seen them during recent tours they felt like old friends. No matter how you slice it this show was bound to be exciting and for the New York area performance it would take place at the Hammerstein Ballroom. The spacious room was going to host the event for two nights and if the reports were on target they had each sold out a couple of weeks before tonight’s show which would be the first one for our area. Here is how the fun transpired should you have missed it for some reason.
Continue reading Megadeth’s “Gigantour” @ Hammerstein Ballroom (4/22/2008)
Megadeth: “Gigantour” @ PNC Bank Arts Center (9/30/2006)
Artist: Megadeth: Gigantour 2006
Venue: PNC Bank Arts Center (Holmdel, NJ)
Opener: Lamb Of God, Arch Enemy, Opeth, Overkill, Into Eternity
Date: 9/30/2006
Label: Roadrunner Records, Century Media Records
“Gigantour 2005” was an incredible tour which not only paired Megadeth and Dream Theater as co-headliners for two monster sets but it also gave the fans the music of Nevermore, Symphony X, Fear Factory, Life Of Agony, Anthrax, Dillinger Escape Plan, Drykill Logic, & Bobaflex. Immediately met with a large level of appeal against the likes of Ozzfest and Warped Tour this was set to be the beginning of a new and powerful yearly event. The entry price was accommodating and many of the bands were serious Metal providers while some other participants were met with a level of “why are they here”. In any case the fans that attended still talk about it like it was yesterday, and when the second year was discussed, the approval was absolutely resounding. Gigantour 2006 would have no questionable acts on the performance roster and instead deliver on all fronts with legendary acts Megadeth and Overkill, new talent such as Smashup and Sanctity and most important – some of the most relevant bands that the Metal scene offers you today with Arch Enemy, Opeth, Into Eternity and Lamb Of God. To call this a shred fest would be a serious understatement, this would be “a f**kin’ sick shred fest!!”. Here is some of how the evening went down with comments on all the bands we were able to see. Read on true believer.
Continue reading Megadeth: “Gigantour” @ PNC Bank Arts Center (9/30/2006)