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Gigantour is just beginning as a traveling heavy-metal festival, but it’s the first sign of the end for its founder, Megadeth singer-guitarist Dave Mustaine.
“The time that I’m going to be out beating the drum on the road is nearing an end,” Mustaine says, reflecting on a quarter century of headbanging. “I want to be able to pass the torch. I don’t want to go off into retirement and not be able to share everything I’ve learned ... not give some of it back. It’s time for the whole thing to go full circle.”
Now in its second year, the eight-band, 25-market Gigantour is an ear-splitting farewell from one of metal’s most influential figures—a sort of thank-you to a genre that provided him with fame and fortune. Headlined once again by Megadeth, the 6 ½-hour festival also features Lamb of God, Opeth, Arch Enemy, Overkill, Into Eternity, Sanctity and The Smashup.
Mustaine’s concept is earnest and direct: Offer kids a chance to see established and up-and-coming bands in a safe, fun, affordable, all-ages environment. While the musicians are inspired by friendly competition, the fans get to soak up top-notch guitar shredding.
“The whole spirit of Gigantour is what I think a metal festival should be like,” Mustaine says. “You should be able to go to this if you’re a young kid and not have somebody beat the hell out of you in the pit. You should be able to go there if you’re a girl and not get raped like what happened at Woodstock in 1999. You should be able to go there, big or small, if you’re a guy, and be able to let it all hang out and get what you need from these metal bands.”
So, in reality, Mustaine—the infamously outspoken ax-slinger who performed thrash-metal classics such as “Killing is My Business ... And Business is Good,” “Symphony of Destruction” and “Sweating Bullets”—is actually a great big softie? Maybe not exactly. But this father of two wants to leave a positive legacy.
“Life is hard,” Mustaine says, “and sometimes the only escape we get is through the music that we love. And I want to be able to bring some happiness to people.”
Gigantour should do the trick for anybody who loves the crunch of power chords and squeal of pinch harmonics. When choosing acts for Gigantour, Mustaine’s criteria boiled down to one molten must-have: Blazing guitar. All the bands on Gigantour boast a jaw-dropping level of technical proficiency, which will be showcased on two stages.
“It’s definitely a guitar players’ thing,” Mustaine says of Gigantour. “And some of the guys, they play guitar in extreme metal or death metal bands and stuff like that, and the singing isn’t quite necessarily my style of singing. But one thing’s undeniable: The guitar playing is fantastic. That’s all I care about.”
One of those guitarists is Tim Roth of Into Eternity. For his largely unknown Canadian band, Gigantour is a chance to be exposed to American arena audiences. But it’s also a fan’s dream come true for the 31-year-old, who has a framed photo of himself and Mustaine—taken backstage at a Megadeth concert—hanging in his living room.
“I’m a serious fan,” Roth says. “Megadeth is like my favorite band. To me, it’s kind of ridiculous (to be on Gigantour). I just try not to think about it.”
Mustaine says this is the final year Megadeth will headline Gigantour, although the group may return during future outings as a special performer. The time has come to turn down the volume—as in number—of Megadeth concerts. Mustaine says he isn’t interested in becoming an old, out-of-touch rocker.
“I don’t want to be made fun of like that,” Mustaine says. “I hear the Ozzy jokes. ... There’s a lot of guys out there that are going to be able to carry the torch of the new generation of heavy metal.”
Still, 45—which Mustaine will turn Sept. 13—doesn’t quite seem old enough to retire.
“Yeah, well, I’m sure that if you asked my kids, they would beg to differ,” Mustaine says. “I’ll consider that. I need to remember that the road is very narrow, and there’s a lot of people traveling it right now. I’ve been very fortunate. It’s pretty much time for me to step aside. I can still be on the road. I just don’t need to be in the fast lane anymore.”
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GIGANTOUR DATES
September:
9 San Diego—Cox Arena
10 San Bernardino, Calif.—Hyundai Pavilion
12 Las Vegas—House of Blues
13 Phoenix—Dodge Theatre
15 Salt Lake City—USANA
16 Denver—Coors Amphitheatre
17 Albuquerque—Journal Pavilion
19 Oklahoma City—Zoo Amphitheatre
21 Milwaukee—Eagles Ballroom
22 Chicago—Congress Theatre
23 Columbus, Ohio—Nationwide Arena
24 Detroit—DTE Energy Amphitheatre
25 Toronto—Molson Amphitheatre
27 Montreal—Bell Centre
28 Uniondale, N.Y.—Nassau Coliseum
29 Boston—Bank of America Pavilion
30 Holmdel, N.J.—PNC Bank Center
October:
1 Atlantic City, N.J.—House of Blues
6 Tampa, Fla.—St Pete Times Forum
7 Sunrise, Fla.—Bank Atlantic Center
8 Orlando—Hard Rock Live
21 Brisbane, Australia—Riverstage, Botanical Gardens
22 Sydney, Australia—Hordern Pavilion
24 Melbourne, Australia—Festival Hall
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© 2006, The Idaho Statesman (Boise, Idaho). Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
