Mustaine's Gigantour

Ancient1

Check out the lineup....all for $35 a ticket. Unbelievable.

Press Release:


"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


DAVE MUSTAINE'S 'GIGANTOUR'
SET TO LAUNCH IN LATE JULY;
DREAM THEATER, FEAR FACTORY,
DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN AND NEVERMORE
CONFIRMED TO JOIN MEGADETH ON THE MAINSTAGE
FOR SIX-WEEK NORTH AMERICAN TREK

APRIL 5, 2005

It's called GIGANTOUR, and it's the brainchild of MEGADETH frontman/guitarist DAVE MUSTAINE.

Set to launch in late July, GIGANTOUR is a six-week festival trek co-headlined by MEGADETH and DREAM THEATER, who'll be accompanied by other mainstage acts Fear Factory, Dillinger Escape Plan and Nevermore. Artists for the second stage will be announced in the coming weeks.

GIGANTOUR follows MEGADETH's sold-out 2004 "Blackmail The Universe" Tour in support of 2004's THE SYSTEM HAS FAILED--MEGADETH's tenth studio album--which debuted on the charts at #18 and was critically hailed as a brilliant return to form. Bandmates Glen Drover (guitar), James MacDonough (bass) and Shawn Drover (drums) will once again join MUSTAINE on the road.

GIGANTOUR--whose moniker was inspired by the classic 1960's cartoon "Gigantor"--will criss-cross North America, with stops in amphitheatres and arenas in cities including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, Washington, Philadelphia, Boston, Denver and Minneapolis, among others. The tour is implementing the "fan friendly" ticket price of approximately $35 each. MUSTAINE notes: "I think people may want an affordable alternative to the choices out there--along the lines of a pure music festival--like Monsters of Rock or Clash of the Titans."

MUSTAINE handpicked the bands for GIGANTOUR, with a focus on musicianship. "There are few very successful tours out each summer and in order to be significant, I knew the first Gigantour had to make an impact with top bands like DREAM THEATER, Fear Factory, Dillinger Escape Plan and Nevermore." MUSTAINE wanted to "put together a festival that consisted of positive bands that play heavy music in a high energy environment."

MUSTAINE comments on the other bands he's chosen for the GIGANTOUR mainstage. "I think that the variety of playing styles and the credibility of the different players is really exciting. I'm looking forward to spending time with DREAM THEATER--including my friend Mike Portnoy--while on the road. I think DREAM THEATER is unbelievably talented. I can't wait to see what their set list is going to be for this festival."

Mike Portnoy from DREAM THEATER comments on the band's perspective on the tour. "I think we probably bring some diversity to the bill, because we're kind of like chameleons--we can fit into a lot of different situations. We've done shows in the past with Iron Maiden, Slayer and Pantera, and then we've also done shows with Elton John, Yes and Deep Purple. I think our fan base is very diverse like that too." Portnoy sees GIGANTOUR as a "kind of a meeting of musicians and metal-heads." He adds: "I've been listening to MEGADETH since day one and always admired them and Dave as an artist--he's constantly stuck to his guns and stuck by the music he believes in. MEGADETH are one of the pioneers of the genre." GIGANTOUR marks the first U.S. leg of DREAM THEATER dates in support of their forthcoming release OCTAVARIUM, due out June 7 on Atlantic Records.

MUSTAINE first toured with Fear Factory in 1994. "I think Fear Factory and Dillinger Escape Plan are really going to add something different to the tour and bring some new people in." He continues, "The frontman of Nevermore [Warrell Dane] used to be in a band called Sanctuary and I produced their first record."

MUSTAINE is excited to hit the road and has a positive outlook for GIGANTOUR. "I look forward to watching this develop over the years and seeing how we can turn this into something that's going to stand the test of time. And if this works, and it really works, maybe we'll take it elsewhere."

Stay tuned for tour dates, venues and information about the second stage bands to be announced soon and check www.megadeth.com for additional updates."

mp3guy

holy fecking ****e. They better play here. That'd be THE BEST DAMN CONCERT EVER!

Ancient1

It's North America only for starters....unfortunately.

If it goes well and develops into something they might consider touring elsewhere but who knows?

Doctor J

Diamond Dave. Legend. FFS the man has truly redeemed himself after Risk

mayordenis

He still has a long way to go in my books,
this tour does look excellent though.

cournioni

Wow... Now that is a tour.

toffo

Good lineup. Can't see it coming over here any time soon though

dimerocks

i would sell my bones to go to that

~Rebel~

In fairness that does look pretty class! Travelled from cork to belfast to see megadeth this year and was most worth it trip ever! Nothing short of amazing! Pity Ellefson's gone tho. Would love to see Fear Factory live to, a bit of Martyr, couldn't beat it!

projectmayhem

that gig would tear anyone apart. not too sure about nevermore (never really heard their stuff) but everyone else is absolutely fantastic... and dillinger are one of my favourites atm

Doctor J

Nevermore are one of the very best bands around at the moment. Check out the Dreaming Neon Black album, hugely recommended.

toffo

Nevermore aren't bad, The Politics of Ecstasy is a very good album. I perfer the stuff Dane and Sheppard did with Sanctuary though.