STILL QUESTIONING WHAT’S SO GIGANTIC ABOUT GIGANTOUR (+ DATES ANNOUNCED)

Last month it was confirmed that Gigantour would be back for a 2012 go-round shortly after Dave Mustaine let it slip that Megadeth would be touring with Motorhead, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil. Dates for the trek were released today, which you will find after the jump. But I’m still not sold on the idea of this tour as “Gigantour,” though; what’s so “gigantic” about it?

In 2005 and 2006, Gigantour’s first two years, the fest featured a two-stage / all-day format, not dissimilar to what Rockstar Mayhem does now and Ozzfest did back then. So how is the 2012 Gigantour any different than any Megadeth + special guests tour? The lineup is sweet, sure, but there’s nothing gigantic about this tour. As Axl claimed all the way back in January of 2008 when the Megadeth / In Flames / Bodom / High on Fire / Job For A Cowboy edition of Gigantour was announced, calling this thing “Gigantour” is false advertising. One’s thing for certain: with those bands on the bill the ticket price is certainly going to be gigantic.

I guess it all comes down to marketing; perhaps Mustaine and his handlers have discovered that they can sell more tickets with the Gigantour brand than they can with the Megadeth name atop a show flyer. If that’s the case, well, I guess they deserve a pat on the back for finding a clever way to get their fans to plunk down their hard-earned Benjamins when they otherwise might not.

Those tour dates after the jump:

Jan. 26 – Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center
Jan. 27 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
Jan. 28 – New York, NY – Theater at Madison Square Garden
Jan. 29 – Lowell, MA – Tsongas Arena
Feb. 01 – Glens Falls, NY – Glens Falls Civic Center
Feb. 02 – Quebec City, QC – Colisee Pepsi Arena
Feb. 03 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
Feb. 05 – Kingston, ON – K-Rock Centre
Feb. 07 – Oshawa, ON – General Motors Centre
Feb. 08 – Hamilton, ON – Copps Coliseum
Feb. 09 – Auburn Hills, MI – Palace of Auburn Hills
Feb. 10 – Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom
Feb. 12 – Milwaukee, WI – Eagles Ballroom
Feb. 14 – St. Paul, MN – Myth
Feb. 16 – Saskatoon, SK – Prairieland
Feb. 17 – Edmonton, AB – Shaw Conference Centre
Feb. 18 – Calgary, AB – Big 4 Building
Feb. 20 – Abbotsford, BC – Abbotsford Ent & Sports Centre
Feb. 21 – Kent, WA – Showare Center
Feb. 23 – San Jose, CA – Events Center
Feb. 24 – Universal City, CA – Gibson Amphitheatre
Feb. 25 – Phoenix, AZ – Comerica Theatre
Feb. 26 – Albuquerque, NM – Tingley Coliseum
Feb. 28 – Denver, CO – The Fillmore Auditorium