Growing up in Glendale, AZ, singer Jonny Davy spent time with his mother hanging out at metal concerts by bands ranging from Pantera to Megadeth [ tickets ]. Never did he think he'd be sharing a stage with fellow Phoenicians Megadeth.

"It's what I grew up on, so it's really weird," said Davy, now the vocalist for the deathcore band Job for a Cowboy.

Job for a Cowboy and headliners Megadeth are two of a handful of bands playing Gigantour through May 22. (See below for itinerary details.) The bill is rounded out by the Scandinavian death metal band In Flames [ tickets ], Finland’s Children of Bodom [ tickets ] and Oakland, CA's heavy power trio High on Fire.

Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover said giving younger bands the opportunity to open for his act is one of the Gigantour's goals. The event, founded by Megadeth, features bands hand chosen by the metal giants, namely lead singer Dave Mustaine.

"It's cool, too, because my ear is really low to the ground in terms of metal bands, young bands, new bands, older bands, whatever," Drover said during an interview with LiveDaily. "A lot of the time, he'll ask me, 'What do you think of this band?' 'What do you think of that band?' Of course, he'd asked me a little while ago about In Flames and Children of Bodom. To me, those bands were no-brainers. They're a great addition to the festival, I thought."

Drover thought Job for a Cowboy would be the perfect for the tour because of the group's extreme music. High on Fire is new to Driver, but well known to Mustaine.

Now in its third year, Gigantour has established itself as one of the premier heavy metal tour packages. As a testament to that, Drover said, many of the shows are sold out.

"When we did [the first] Gigantour, not everybody knew what it was because it wasn't called Megadeth," Drover said. "Not everybody was familiar with it at first. Now, I think just about everybody knows what this festival is. With the band selection and it getting more popular, the results are speaking for themselves."

Gigantour keeps Megadeth busy. The band, which also includes lead guitarist Chris Broderick and bassist James LoMenzo, does press just about every day, and hosts two meet and greets with each show. On this tour, Megadeth will begin work on a new album.

"Dave, he just never stops," Drover said. "He's always busy. It's a labor of love and this is what we love to do, so it's no sweat for us."