Gigantour follows Megadeth’s celebratory tour marking the 20th anniversary of its classic “Rust in Peace’’; reunion shows with fellow Big Four metal bands Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax; participation in last year’s touring Mayhem Festival; and release of “Th1rt3en,’’ which contains the Grammy-nominated song “Public Enemy No. 1.’’
Megadeth’s new material nicely fit into the set the band delivered Sunday. “Public Enemy No. 1’’ and “Guns, Drugs, and Money’’ showcased band leader Dave Mustaine’s wry side, while “Whose Life Is It Anyway’’ let him uncork his patented outrage.
The set list covered all eras of Megadeth, with vintage cuts “Sweating Bullets’’ and “Peace Sells’’ still resonant and full of turmoil. Throughout the show, Mustaine and fellow guitarist Chris Broderick created a feast of guitar shred.
Gigantour also afforded Mustaine the chance to perform the ballad “A Tout Le Monde’’ the way he originally envisioned it: as a duet with a female singer - Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia.
Including Motorhead always makes it a better party. With “Bomber,’’ “Stay Clean,’’ “Going to Brazil,’’ and the like, indefatigable Lemmy Kilmister marshaled Motorhead through a set of primal rock dressed in metal’s muscle and punk’s sneer.
Volbeat likewise kept its metal close to rock’s roots. The band invoked Johnny Cash with “Sad Man’s Tongue’’ and covered “I Only Want to Be With You,’’ a hit for Dusty Springfield.
Lacuna Coil opened Gigantour with a solid selection of new material. Scabbia and co-vocalist Andrea Ferro effectively tie together a broad sound that swings from pummeling to soaring.
