Last Friday night, I had the extreme pleasure of going to Boston to see Gigantour, which is a summer metal band tour created by Dave Mustaine of Megadeth. The show took place at the Bank of America Pavillion, which is a great venue in Boston. The only problem this venue has is the unreasonable curfew imposed by the city, which limited the number of bands that were supposed to play. On this particular night, the following bands played:

• Nevermore
• Dillinger Escape Plan
• Fear Factory
• Dream Theater
• Megadeth

Right off the bat, I have to say how disappointed I was that Symphony X was not playing. Billed as a "second stage" band, the curfew prevented them from being part of the show, which is a huge mistake considering that Symphony X is one of the most dominating and talented bands in the progressive metal scene today.

The first band to go on was Nevermore. I had only heard a few songs of theirs, and I was really impressed by how good they were in a live setting. Their set was very short, but they managed to play a range of songs from all of their albums.

Next up was Dillinger Escape Plan, which is quite possibly the world's worst band ever. I cannot stress enough how bad this band is. If it hadn't been the fact that they were thrashing around the stage, throwing objects at the audience, destroying equipment, and bleeding on me, they might have been okay. The lead singer, a walking hunk of meat, managed to almost injure two photographers with a microphone stand, and in the process, sliced his hand open. After smearing blood all over his face, he promptly bled on me and my companion who were in the front row. Smashing guitars causes strings to break and instruments to go out of tune, and in this endeavour, the band excelled. That's all the press I am willing to give this bunch of idiots.

Third on the docket was Fear Factory. I have been listening to this group for several years now, and they are one of my favorite metal groups. Not only did they sound good, but they were very entertaining and really worked the crowd. Before ending their set, the band gave tribute to Pantera's fallen leader, Dimebag Darrell. Again, the short sets prevented a full experience, but this is one group I definitely plan on seeing live again.

The fourth band was Dream Theater, my all-time favorite band. I have seen this band on every tour since 1997, and I never get tired of seeing them or hearing their music. Dream Theater is perhaps the most intelligent band in the progressive metal scene, and they can play a huge range of styles from blues to straight metal. While their sound has become more experimental lately with discordant jazzy sections, they still crank out the metal when appropriate. If you haven't heard Dream Theater before, go visit iTunes and download a song or two. You won't be disappointed.

The last band to play was Megadeth. As the old-school ambassadors of metal, there are few groups who are still in the game producing classic metal like these guys. The best part about this band was that they realized that their set was shorter than it would have been on a full tour, so there was very little talking and time off between songs - it was one song right after another in machine gun fashion, with songs spanning a 20-year career in the business. Their act was slickly produced too, with chain link fencing around the amps, explosions and flames, and a really cool steel drum stage. Dave Mustaine speaks for all the disenfranchised, the misfits, the outcasts, and other miscreants of society:

What do you mean, "I don't believe in God"?
I talk to him every day.
What do you mean, "I don't support your system"?
I go to court when I have to.
What do you mean, "I can't get to work on time"?
I got nothing better to do
And, what do you mean, "I don't pay my bills"?
Why do you think I'm broke? Huh?

If there's a new way,
I'll be the first in line.
But, it better work this time.

What do you mean, "I hurt your feelings"?
I didn't know you had any feelings.
What do you mean, "I ain't kind"?
I'm just not your kind.
What do you mean, "I couldn't be president, of the United States of America"?
Tell me something, it's still "We the people", right?

If there's a new way
I'll be the first in line,
But, it better work this time.

Can you put a price on peace?
More information about the tour and other photos can be found at the Official Gigantour Website.