Gigantour

The cold, dreary weather somewhat dampened the mood of excitement but rest assured, this was no deterrent to the beer guzzling, 30-something suburban thrashers there to see Overkill. The band brought a huge amount of energy to the stage, playing a stellar set of recognisable hits and reserving their spot as one of the few old timers who don't look foolish still rocking out. Arch Enemy were next and received a hearty welcome from the fans while delivering a heavy and solid round of their brand of Euro harmonies. Opeth followed, their relatively static set establishing them as the most divergent act of the evening. Unfortunately, almost as soon as they transitioned into some of their trademark melodic folk rock, ignorant homophobic remarks started flying from the mouths of several inconsiderate drunkards. It was a sad instance of why metal's fans are so brutally stigmatised, and as Atom and his Package once sang, are considered "evolutionarily one step behind." Lead guitarist and front-man Mikael Åkerfeldt had obviously heard similar heckling in previous cities and made several sly and clever comments addressing their prodding. Despite the idiots ruining it for everyone else, Opeth delivered one of the strongest sets of the night, even if it seemed slightly stunted. As dusk turned to darkness, Lamb of God were greeted by the largest crowd of the day, legions of fans ready to play into Randall J. Blyth's considerable showmanship. After an album's worth of tight, breakdown-saturated mosh anthems, LoG cleared the way for the evening's rock'n'roll highlight and tour mastermind. Flames lit the stage while Dave Mustaine and his most recent incarnation of Megadeth embarked on a greatest hits journey designed to please both new and old fans alike. Two songs into the set, a noticeably perturbed Mustaine abruptly tore out his earphone monitor, raised his guitar above his head and threw it in the direction of the sound board, promptly storming off stage, leaving the rest of his band to finish up and follow him. After a couple minutes of uncertainty, the promoter appeared at the mic and reassured the audience that the band would return but not before a good portion of the crowd had dissipated. Upon their re-emergence, they continued to unleash tracks spanning Megadeth's career, their precision almost justifying Mustaine's diva-like behaviour – anyone who can write and play like that deserves a little leeway. All things considered, it was an eclectic evening touting some of metal's finest live acts, one definitely worth braving the season's first real offering of autumn for.