# Gigantour

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. The tour is set as an alternative to tours such as Ozzfest. The name "Gigantour" was inspired by the classic 1960s anime Gigantor, of which Mustaine is a fan. The last Gigantour took place in 2013.

## The Festival

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

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)
### Line-up
#### Main stage

Megadeth, Lamb of God, Opeth, Arch Enemy

#### Second stage

Overkill, Into Eternity, Sanctity, The SmashUp

### Tour dates

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

### Notable events
#### Guest singers

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..
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

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
##### September 30, 2006 – Holmdel

Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater joined Overkill on stage for their song "Elimination".

#### Molson Amphitheater

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

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)
### Line-up

Megadeth, Soulfly, Arch Enemy, Caliban

### Tour dates

| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| October 21, 2006 | Brisbane | Australia | Riverstage |
| October 22, 2006 | Sydney | Australia | Hordern Pavilion |
| October 24, 2006 | Melbourne | Australia | Festival Hall |

## Gigantour 3: Australia (2007)
### Line-up

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

### Tour dates

| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| November 10, 2007 | Perth | Australia | Metro City |
| November 12, 2007 | Adelaide | Australia | Thebarton Theatre |
| November 13, 2007 | Melbourne | Australia | Festival Hall |
| November 15, 2007 | Sydney | Australia | Luna Park Big Top |
| November 16, 2007 | Sydney | Australia | Luna Park Big Top |
| November 18, 2007 | Brisbane | Australia | Riverstage |

## Gigantour 3: UK (2008)
### Line-up

Megadeth, Job for a Cowboy, Evile

### Tour dates

| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| February 17, 2008 | Norwich | England | UEA |
| November 18, 2008 | Nottingham | England | Nottingham Rock City |
| November 19, 2008 | Glasgow | Scotland | Carling Academy Glasgow |
| November 20, 2008 | Newcastle | England | Carling Academy Newcastle |
| November 22, 2008 | Birmingham | England | Carling Academy Birmingham |
| November 23, 2008 | Manchester | England | Manchester Academy |
| November 24, 2008 | London | England | Brixton Academy |

## Gigantour 3: North America (2008)
### Line-up

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

| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| April 12, 2008 | Denver | United States | The Fillmore |
| April 13, 2008 | Albuquerque | United States | Journal Pavilion |
| April 15, 2008 | Grand Prairie | United States | Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie |
| April 16, 2008 | Corpus Christi | United States | Concrete Street Pavilion |
| April 17, 2008 | Houston | United States | Verizon Wireless Theater |
| April 19, 2008 | Louisville | United States | Louisville Gardens |
| April 20, 2008 | Atlanta | United States | Masquerade Music Park |
| April 22, 2008 | New York City | United States | Hammerstein Ballroom |
| April 23, 2008 | New York City | United States | Hammerstein Ballroom |
| April 25, 2008 | Worcester | United States | Worcester Palladium |
| April 26, 2008 | Columbia | United States | Merriweather Post Pavilion |
| April 28, 2008 | Quebec City | Canada | Pavilion De La Jeunesse |
| April 29, 2008 | Montreal | Canada | Bell Centre |
| April 30, 2008 | Toronto | Canada | Arrow Hall |
| May 1, 2008 | London | Canada | John Labatt Centre |
| May 3, 2008 | Clarkston | United States | DTE Energy Music Theatre |
| May 4, 2008 | Cleveland | United States | Time Warner Cable Amphitheater |
| May 6, 2008 | Chicago | United States | Aragon Ballroom |
| May 7, 2008 | Milwaukee | United States | Eagles Ballroom |
| May 9, 2008 | Minneapolis | United States | Myth |
| May 10, 2008 | Winnipeg | Canada | Winnipeg Convention Centre |
| May 11, 2008 | Saskatoon | Canada | Prairieland Exhibition Hall |
| May 12, 2008 | Edmonton | Canada | Shaw Conference Centre |
| May 14, 2008 | Calgary | Canada | The Corral |
| May 16, 2008 | Vancouver | Canada | Pacific Coliseum |
| May 17, 2008 | Salem | United States | Salem Armory |
| May 19, 2008 | San Jose | United States | Event Center @ San Jose State |
| May 20, 2008 | San Diego | United States | Cox Arena |
| May 21, 2008 | Long Beach | United States | Long Beach Arena |
| May 22, 2008 | Mesa | United States | Mesa Amphitheatre |

## Gigantour 4 (2012)
### Line-up

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.

### Tour dates

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

## Gigantour 5 (2013)
### Line-up

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

### Tour dates

| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| July 3, 2013 | Gilford | United States | Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion |
| July 5, 2013 | Uncasville | United States | Mohegan Sun Arena |
| July 6, 2013 | Canandaigua | United States | Marvin Sands PAC |
| July 8, 2013 | Clarkston | United States | DTE Energy Music Theatre |
| July 9, 2013 | Rosemont | United States | Allstate Arena |
| July 10, 2013 | Youngstown | United States | Covelli Center |
| July 12, 2013 | Dallas | United States | Gexa Energy Pavilion |
| July 13, 2013 | Lubbock | United States | Lonestar Amphitheatre |
| July 14, 2013 | Corpus Christi | United States | Concrete Street Amphitheatre |
| July 16, 2013 | Oklahoma City | United States | Zoo Amphitheatre |
| July 18, 2013 | Bloomington | United States | U.S. Cellular Coliseum |
| July 19, 2013 | Milwaukee | United States | Eagles Ballroom |
| July 20, 2013 | Cadott | United States | Chippewa Valley Music Festival |
| July 22, 2013 | Winnipeg | Canada | MTS Centre |
| July 23, 2013 | Calgary | Canada | Stampede Corral |
| July 26, 2013 | Edmonton | Canada | Rexall Place |
| July 27, 2013 | Dawson Creek | Canada | EnCana Events Centre |
| July 29, 2013 | Abbotsford | Canada | Abbotsford Entertainment Center |
| July 30, 2013 | Everett | United States | Comcast Arena |
| August 1, 2013 | West Valley City | United States | Maverik Center |
| August 2, 2013 | Denver | United States | 1st Bank Center |
| August 4, 2013 | Fargo | United States | Scheels Arena (canceled) |
| August 7, 2013 | New York City | United States | Hammerstein Ballroom |
| August 9, 2013 | Camden | United States | Susquehanna Bank Center |
| August 10, 2013 | Montreal | Canada | Heavy MONTRÉAL |
| August 11, 2013 | Toronto | Canada | Molson Canadian Amphitheatre |

### Notable incidents

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

| 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
### CD releases

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

### DVD releases

* Gigantour (2006)
* Gigantour 2 (2008)