Gigantour 2013 was great!
by bonjoe300 on 9/19/13Molson Canadian Amphitheatre - TorontoThis metal festival concert did not disappoint! The concert started off with the band Newsted, formed by the former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted. This band just shredded all of the material they played! Jason was super intense, while Mike Mushok (“No mic Mike”) on guitar was in headbanger mode – he reminded us of Cousin It because we could barely see his face! Newsted added “Twisted Tail of the Comet” to their set list – it was a great addition! “King of the Underdogs” was a highlight with Jessie's intense ghoulish guitar riff. Next up was Hellyeah. The only thing we knew about Hellyeah before the show was that Vinnie Paul from Pantera was the drummer. Hellyeah had a very entertaining stage presence with Vinnie Paul showing his skills on the drum set and Chad Gray providing a charismatic lead. We were only able to see about half of Hellyeah’s set because we had a ‘meet and greet’ with Newsted right in the middle of their set. That was a bit of a downfall – you wouldn’t think you’d have to miss another artist to meet with the one you’d paid for. But in the end, it was well worth it! All of the members of Newsted were great to their fans, ensuring that we had signed posters, other items, photo ops, etc. They even took time afterward to talk to us about what the fans mean to their group. They seemed really appreciative of the opportunities they have. Next up was Device. David Draiman (of Disturbed fame) is the lead singer, and of course – his smooth voice and attention to enunciation highlighted their new material. To our surprise, there was no bassist in the band – we hope that this is something they address as we think it would enhance the live viewing experience for fans, rather than pumping that part of the music in. The highlights were ‘Penance’, ‘Vilify’ and ‘You Think You Know’. A hilarious moment occurred at the beginning of their set, when a drunk fan, who was complaining the entire first two bands about how Hellyeah should have been the headliner, was physically and verbally disrespectful of Device. Not because they were bad, but because they came AFTER Hellyeah in the concert lineup. David Draiman very coolly walked to the back of the stage, picked up a cup of water and rifled it directly into the rude fan’s face, while never missing a lyric or offending fans around him. He even had a few choice words for the idiot after the song was over. It’s called RESPECT. Next up was Black Label Society. This band, headed by Zakk Wylde – the former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne – had a HUGE following! And it was well deserved. Zakk’s set-up on the mic was as cool as hell – and he was constantly stepping out from behind it to show his prowess on one of many of his unique guitars. We had fun trying to capture them all digitally! His long guitar solo demanded and received absolute respect. Their set list was full of their best music, from ‘Destruction Overdrive' to 'Suicide Messiah’ to ‘Stillborn’ – there were too many highlights to list them all. It had to be a highlight of one BLS roadie's night to take charge of the megaphone during 'Suicide Messiah'. And last, but certainly not least was Megadeth. They had a great stage and all the band members showed command of it. Dave Mustaine showed the fans why he’s been so successful over the past 30 years with his skill on guitar and his eclectic personality. Some of the highlights of the set were ‘Symphony of Destruction’, ‘Peace Sells’ and ‘Sweating Bullets’. The best part had to be when Jason Newsted came out and sang ‘Phantom Lord’ – a Metallica song, with Dave Mustaine & Megadeth. Dave Mustaine even mentioned that he hadn’t performed "that other band’s" music in almost 30 years. For Metallica lovers, to have two former Metallica band members (not at the same time) singing/playing a Metallica song on the same stage when they are both with different bands now was pretty awesome! And to know that the only reason they did it was because it was the last date of the Gigantour 2013 at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre in Toronto Ontario was special.