Me and a couple of friends got tickets to the Gigantour show, centre stage right by the sound guy...great seats! Here's a review of the whole day/night: So, me and and my two buddies arrived around 3:00 PM to find the first band, Bobaflex, playing already. They were a rap metal band that were mediocre but entertaining to watch, especially the bassist. One time, he was holding his bass like a rifle and was "shooting" at the pit. The guitarist to the one side looked like a tool though! The singer said some funny shit like, "this song is dedicated to those of you who can't maintain an erection while on cocaine". At least it was amusing. Dry Kill Logic....well they were a bit too aggressive for aggressives sake with not much of a variation to their music but they could actually play and the singer was pretty gracious about being there. And I also noticed all the bands were giving props to Symphony X...one of my favourite bands and the next up on the show. Since the Molson Amphitheater has only one stage so as the stacks of amps were being cleared, Jason Rullo's kit was being wheeled up front and the keys were being tested and stuff. Then the guys came on and started the beat-down with "Inferno" from the Odyssey album. Next was an extended version of "Wicked" that really rocked and proved that Russell Allen was the best vocalist there and the best live vocalist I've ever heard. Bassist Mike Lepond was badass too, really into it, as was famous shredder Michael Romeo....although he should have been higher in the mix. Rullo and Pinella on keys were really solid. "Sea of Lies" was another tune with the great intro bass solo. To my surprise however, they cut the set short leaving out "Evolution" and the rocking "King of Terrors" and had to launch right into "Of Sins and Shadows", a wicked rendition of the song with Romeo and Pinella spot on during the guitar/keys duel. Yeah these guys were nuts, albeit short. Then Nevermore, the first main stage band, came on. They impressed me with some good riffing and Jeff Loomis proved that his amazing "7-string guitar work was no gimmick. I can't wait to see these guys again when they open for Opeth at the Opera House. The singer was a bit too operatic for my tastes at times but they still rocked. Then, we went and to the merch booth and got something to eat. I got a Dream Theater "Octavarium" tour t-shirt, which replaced my Opeth "Blackwater Park" shirt. Good that we did all this when we did, because Life of Agony was the worst band of the show in my opinion. I didn't really dig them at all other than their last song. Aw well. Then the stage was setting up for Fear Factory, as the Dillinger Escape Plan had to pull out due to the guitarist's arm injury. Fear Factory suprised me, and I was into them quite a bit as their stuff works better live in my opinion...and their drummer's double bass work is insane. My drummer friend was really digging that. They played a 45 minute set including the first minute of Pantera's "Walk" that got everyody in the place going crazy. Also, really good attendence too...by this point there was more than 5000 people and apparently the attendence was 10 000 people, one of the best turnouts of the tour, barely promoted outside of the metal community. Once that was over I was starting to get the anxiety as they were setting up for Dream Theater, my favourite band whose live shows IMO cannot be matched, seeing them March 2003 at Massey Hall. They stole the show too. They got the best reception of the night IMO and nailed every song. They opened with "The Root of All Evil" off of their new disc "Octavarium". After that, they launched into tunes like "Lie", the full version with great solos by Petrucci; "Honour Thy Father", which is one of their heaviest songs that really kicked ass live; "Panic Attack", a fast metal thrashfest off of Octavarium; "Just Let Me Breathe", with extended soloing from Jordan Rudess on his new Continuum fingerboard...sweet stuff! They ended the set with "Home", the best song on Scenes From A Memory that was indescribably good live...with the Tool/Arabian feel, yeah. Their encore was a "Pull Me Under/Metropolis" medley that featured some crazy ass playing by them all. We were all bowing to the Gods by the end of the set. I was totally trashed by the time Megadeth came on. No, unfortunately not drunk, but so tired from rocking out to DT for an hour and a half. When they came on to the blast of pyro and a wall of Marshall stacks, I was back headbanging. They put on a great show, even though I haven't heard to much of their stuff to be honest. At the end, they played "Peace Sells" with Mike Portnoy from DT on drums...yeah that was a real highlight! We skipped Holy Wars though, so we could get out before everyone else. The rest of the night included an adventure through downtown T.O. around midnight that I won't go into detail (us being country hicks) but all in all I was so impressed by the quality of the performances. 8 hours of metal for 50 bucks was so worth it to me.....I'm looking forward to next year! B)