GIGANATOUR – Canandaigua, NY | Musician Photo Journal

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August 5th, 2013

GIGANATOUR – Canandaigua, NY

It was a “sweating bullet’s” kind of day as the temperature rised (literally) when the Giganatour 2013 pulled into the Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center, (CMAC) in Canandaigua, NY. The show kicked off in the dead heat of the afternoon, but never fear, the CMAC had plenty of cold beverages on hand to get you in the mood for one kick ass day/night of metal! \m/ …. “We dance like marionettes, Swaying to the Symphony…Of Destruction!”

First to take the stage was the newly formed, Death Division, featuring bassist Jerry Montano (HellYeah, Danzig, Nothingface), drummer Tim Yeung (Morbid Angel, Divine Heresy, Hate Eternal, Nile), vocalist/guitarist Sean De La Tour and guitarist Rick Di Marco. Unfortunately, we were at the gates when these guys took the stage and we only got a small taste of what they were about. We caught their last song and a half. They sounded interesting and worth taking a further look into what they are about.

Second on the bill was Newsted, led by Mr. Jason Newsted himself! Over the past 30yrs, Jason has made his mark, time and time again, with bands like Metallica, Flotsam and Jetsam and Voivod to name a few; it was only a matter of time that Jason Newsted would take the reign and lead a new band into another amazing metal adventure. Teaming up with Mike Mushok (of Staind) on guitar, mix in Jesus Mendez Jr (Drums, Percussion) and Jessie Farnsworth (Bass, Guitars, Backing Vocals), Jason Newsted (vocals, guitar, bass) brings forth a tight, old school metal vibe with modern elements that you will be sure that you just can’t get enough of! They released their debut EP simply titled, “METAL” back in January. Can’t wait to get more music from NEWSTED! They are slate to release their first full length album, “HEAVY METAL MUSIC” in August 2013! You can get a sneak peak here!

Third on the bill is a MPJ favorite, HELLYEAH! They always come out, pumped full of energy that gets the crowd hyped from the start! With Hellyeah on the bill, you know you can’t go wrong. Their set is continuously in motion, except for the brief introduction of the members on stage which include former Pantera and Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul, Mudvayne members – Chad Gray (vocals) and Greg Tribbett (guitarist), Nothingface member – Tom Maxwell (guitar) and Damageplan bassist, Bob Zilla. They had the crowd with fist in the air, chanting along with songs like “Drink Drank Drunk.” They gave one of the better performances of the day for sure. Hellyeah is out in support of their third album, “Band Of Brothers” via Eleven Seven Music. Watch for Hellyeah to come to a town near you as they will continue on their world tour.

Next up with David Draiman’s (Disturbed) new outlet – Device. Draiman teamed up with Geno Lenardo, former guitarist of Filter and began the new phenomenon that is sure to take off. Vocally, Draiman still carries that style that we love in Disturbed – where I am positive any Disturbed fans will absolutely love the self-titled Device album. Looking at the bands history, they have brought forth that full arena sound that you think of when you think of Disturbed and/or Filter. Joining them on stage is Virus (ex-member of Dope) on guitars and backing vocals and Will Hunt (SOil,plays with Evanescence and Dark New Day) on drums which rounds out the line-up nicely. Will Hunt is an animal on drums and really was fun to watch perform. Device will continue to tour North America in September, then will head to Europe in Nov/Dec and will be part of the Shiprocked Cruise in January.

Zakk Wylde and the boys of Black Label Society were next on the bill. They put on an hour set that would include songs from each of their albums, giving it solid performance. Zakk displayed why he is renowned for his guitar skills as he indulged into some sick solos that were entertaining as always. Black Label Society will be releasing a live recording titled “Unblackened” on September 24, 2013 featuring 17 live performances of those BLS favorites. It will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and digital video.

With a brief appearance by Jim Florentine of VH1’s – That Metal Show – The crowd was ready for the main reason they were there – to see Dave Mustaine’s and MEGADETH! Kicking off with “Trust,” “Hangar 18” and “Kingmaker” their set was off to a great start. Megadeth released their fourteenth studio album, “Super Collider” this summer. With a catalog as large as Megadeth – there is only so many songs that can be played – Megadeth did an superb job at packing in as much older and newer songs into a set that made ever the biggest Megadeth fan, who was her first time seeing them, very happy. Alongside with Mustaine, was original bassist, Dave Ellefson, guitarist Chris Broderick and Drummer Shawn Drover. Megadeth will continue to tour after Giganatour, even heading down into Mexico, Brazil and Peru.

If you happen to be in an area where the remaining Giganatour dates are, be sure to catch the show. It’s a good ol’ night of metal and rock n roll! Check out our photo galleries below. For more information on the bands or the giganatour, check out the links below.