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.

Gigantour
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
Legs7

The Festival

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The 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

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A 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)

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Line-up

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Main stage

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Megadeth, Lamb of God, Opeth, Arch Enemy

Second stage

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Overkill, Into Eternity, Sanctity, The SmashUp

Tour dates

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Date City Country Venue
September 6, 2006 Nampa, Idaho United States Idaho Center
September 8, 2006 Oakland, California RingCentral Coliseum
September 9, 2006 San Diego, California Cox Arena
September 10, 2006 San Bernardino, California Hyundai Pavilion
September 12, 2006 Las Vegas, Nevada House of Blues
September 13, 2006 Phoenix, Arizona Dodge Theatre
September 15, 2006 West Valley City, Utah E Center
September 16, 2006 Greenwood Village, Colorado Coors Amphitheatre
September 17, 2006 Albuquerque, New Mexico Journal Pavilion
September 19, 2006 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Zoo Amphitheatre
September 21, 2006 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Eagles Ballroom
September 22, 2006 Chicago, Illinois Congress Theater
September 23, 2006 Columbus, Ohio Nationwide Arena
September 24, 2006 Clarkston, Michigan DTE Energy Music Theatre
September 25, 2006 Toronto, Ontario Canada Molson Amphitheatre
September 27, 2006 Montreal, Quebec Bell Centre
September 28, 2006 Uniondale, New York United States Nassau Coliseum
September 29, 2006 Boston, Massachusetts Bank of America Pavilion
September 30, 2006 Holmdel Township, New Jersey PNC Bank Arts Center
October 1, 2006 Atlantic City, New Jersey House of Blues
October 3, 2006 Portsmouth, Virginia NTelos Wireless Pavilion
October 4, 2006 Charleston, South Carolina The Plex
October 6, 2006 Tampa, Florida St. Pete Times Forum
October 7, 2006 Sunrise, Florida BankAtlantic Center
October 8, 2006 Orlando, Florida Hard Rock Live

Notable events

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Guest singers

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At 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

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At 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

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September 30, 2006 – Holmdel
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Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater joined Overkill on stage for their song "Elimination".

Molson Amphitheater

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While 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
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While 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)

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Line-up

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Megadeth, Soulfly, Arch Enemy, Caliban

Tour dates

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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)

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Line-up

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Megadeth, Static-X, Lacuna Coil, DevilDriver, Bring Me the Horizon

Tour dates

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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)

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Line-up

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Megadeth, Job for a Cowboy, Evile

Tour dates

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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)

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Line-up

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Megadeth, 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

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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)

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Line-up

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Megadeth 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

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Megadeth announced, on November 2, 2011, Gigantour 2012 tour dates .

Date City Country Venue
January 26, 2012 Camden United States Susquehanna Bank Center
January 27, 2012 Uncasville Mohegan Sun Arena
January 28, 2012 New York City Theater at Madison Square Garden
January 29, 2012 Lowell Tsongas Arena
February 1, 2012 Glens Falls Glens Falls Civic Center
February 2, 2012 Quebec City Canada Colisée Pepsi
February 3, 2012 Montreal Bell Centre
February 5, 2012 Kingston K-Rock Centre
February 7, 2012 Oshawa General Motors Centre
February 8, 2012 Hamilton Copps Coliseum
February 9, 2012 Auburn Hills United States The Palace of Auburn Hills
February 10, 2012 Chicago Aragon Ballroom
February 12, 2012 Milwaukee Eagles Ballroom
February 14, 2012 Saint Paul Myth
February 16, 2012 Saskatoon Canada Prairieland Park
February 17, 2012 Edmonton Shaw Conference Centre
February 18, 2012 Calgary Big 4 Building
February 20, 2012 Abbotsford Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre
February 21, 2012 Kent United States ShoWare Center
February 23, 2012 San Jose Event Center
February 24, 2012 Los Angeles Gibson Amphitheatre
February 25, 2012 Phoenix Comerica Theatre
February 26, 2012 Albuquerque Tingley Coliseum
February 28, 2012 Denver Fillmore Auditorium
March 1, 2012 Dallas The Palladium
March 2, 2012 Houston Verizon Wireless Theater
March 3, 2012 Austin ACL Live at The Moody Theater

Gigantour 5 (2013)

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Line-up

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Megadeth, Black Label Society, Device, Hellyeah, Newsted, and Death Division

Tour dates

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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

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Due 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

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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

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CD releases

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  • Gigantour (2006)
  • Gigantour, Vol. 2 (2008)

DVD releases

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  • Gigantour (2006)
  • Gigantour 2 (2008)

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Volledige naam. "Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  4. ^ "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.
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