MEGADETH's DAVID ELLEFSON Reveals His Daily Survival Guide for GIGANTOUR

January 19, 2012

Gigantour — the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by esteemed hard rockers MEGADETH — will make its highly anticipated return for the first time since 2008. The multi-artist bill — with metal heavyweights MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT and LACUNA COIL all personally picked by MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine — will kick off January 26 in Camden, New Jersey. Before wrapping February 28 in Denver, Colorado, the tour will make stops all across the U.S. and Canada, including a January 28 show in New York and February 24 in Los Angeles.

When asked how he handles the daily grind of being out on tour, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson told AOL's Noisecreep, "Because we close the show, we're on late. We're talking 9:40 p.m. or so. Generally, my entire day is me gearing up for those 75-80 minutes that MEGADETH is on stage.

"Everything I do throughout a day on tour — what I eat, drink, exercise — is preparation for my energy level to be peaking while I'm on stage. So that usually means going straight to the venue and getting catering there. Sometimes I'll work out in the venue and then hit sound check at around 2:30. Our press and meet-and-greets usually start around 4:30. That can go until about dinner time. There's actually a hard rule: don't eat two hours before the show. So what's nice is that you can have a light dinner and still have enough time to warm up on your instrument and singing voice. The biggest thing I have to be careful of is not talking too much during the day. That's tough for me because I like to talk a lot and I'll ramble on in our interviews."

As for his routine for the post-show comedown, Ellefson said, "It's just like an athlete who goes out to play at his peak adrenaline level and then has to go home or the hotel. In a band, it's hard to wind down and then get back onto the bus and try and sit in one place.

"Sometimes I'll take a warm shower after we play [laughs]. It actually works to calm me down, make me lucid, and a bit tired. The hardest part is not eating after the show, because that just forces your body to stay awake with the digestion and all of that stuff happening. But I'm usually good about that."

Photo below courtesy of Music-Photocalypse.net

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