It’s often amazed me why a promoter wouldn’t bring to Australia a full-blown Metal festival. Sure we get a bloated ‘Big Day Out’ each summer that usually has a smattering of Metal acts here and there - but typically, Australia hardly gets a decent run with a full-scale Heavy Metal extravaganza. I mean, if Ozzfest toured here in the summer, it would blow to hell any ‘Big Day Out’ bill but no promoter has the nouse or the balls to pull it through.
Thankfully, the folk who organize Gigantour - the brainchild of Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine - have seen the light and it now looks highly likely that Gigantour will be an annual event on these shores.
Last night’s gig at Festival Hall which featured the aforementioned Megadeth also had Soulfly, Arch Enemy and Caliban on the bill. It was a great night capped off by an absolutely blistering and faultless set by Mustaine and Megadeth. To say they were mindfuckingly brilliant is a massive understatement. It was a barrage of hits spawning a back catalogue that is over 20 years old. Mustaine proved once and for all he is one of the definitive riffsters in the Metal genre. The band were like a precisionly tight machine delivering an assault of hits and riffs that would blow off any band they would ever share a stage with.
And that’s exactly what they did.
Whilst opening acts Arch Enemy, Soulfly and Caliban were somewhere between good and great… Megadeth were grand!
Megadeth
Soulfly
Arch Enemy
Caliban
Saw Megadeth open for Dio in Toronto many years ago. Dave Mustaine fired his guitar tech 3 songs in to the set. He tossed two guitars in the guys direction because he was having problems and mentioned that the guy would be looking for a new job the next day. It was vintage Mustaine. Great set though. The guy’s a genius at writing and playing riffs. I miss Dave Ellefson.
24 hours later I’m still in amazement just how good Mustaine and co. were. The difference between them and the rest of the bands was chalk and cheese… and the likes of Arch Enemy and Soulfly are no small-fry either, but they were blown away comprehensively.
One cool feature was seeing as this was the final show on the Gigantour 2006 tour, all bands joined Megadeth on stage to sing along to ‘Peace Sells’. Was a good moment.
AWESOME it was a blast!!!!