Metalheads of all ages turned out for Gigantour at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on Aug. 7 presumably with their hearing somewhat intact. With sets by Megadeth, Black Label Society and Newsted, it’s safe to say that ears were ringing and muscles were aching days after the show.

It’s called Gigantour for a reason, Megadeth are masters at what they do ... and what they do is melt off faces. The intensity was felt throughout the venue and throughout your bones as soon as those drums in ‘Trust’ kick in at the very beginning of their set.

With infectious hits such as ‘Hangar 18’ and ‘Wake Up Dead’ being played early on, the crowd was beyond pumped. New York City fans are no strangers to the talent of Megadeth as they shredded it up within the past year for their ‘Countdown to Extinction’ tour. During this set they also broke out the new tune ‘Kingmaker’ off of their latest record ‘Super Collider’ as well as their rendition of a Thin Lizzy classic ‘Cold Sweat.’

A handful of years ago, yours truly waited all day in line to be front and center to see the colossal Black Label Society headline Hammerstein Ballroom. It was the last concert I attended without ear plugs. Being a stubborn high school student at the time, it was naïve to think that I didn’t need ear protection, but Zakk Wylde and his doom crew quickly showed me differently.

Jump ahead to present day, the band looked and sounded better than ever. The mosh pit turned into a bow pit as moshers stopped crushing each other to worship during Wylde’s lengthy and mesmerizing solos. As Black Label Society beach balls dropped from the ceiling, somehow a couple of blow up dolls also made their way crowd surfing back and forth during ‘Parade of the Dead,’ which had guitarist Nick Cantanese smiling from ear to ear. Needless to say, by the end of the song the plastic bimbos were fully deflated. When Black Label Society comes to town it’s a party that you just never want to end.

Newsted opened up the show with a powerful performance. Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted was a refreshing sight to see onstage, not to mention he has one of the best and most expressive bass faces around. His entire set was a celebration of metal and he got a warm response from the crowd as the first pit of the night opened right up during ‘Whiplash.’

Even though Device and Hellyeah were not on the bill for this particular night -- New York was originally set to get two Gigantour shows with those two bands on the second night -- fans still got their share of speedy riffs and memorable performances.

Check Out Photos of Megadeth, Black Label Society + Newsted Peforming in NYC:

Megadeth:

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...

Black Label Society:

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...

Newsted:

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
loading...

More From Loudwire