Dave Mustaine Says Peter Frampton Is ‘Talking Out His Ass’ About Canceled Shows
Megadeth's Dave Mustaine has refuted Peter Frampton's suggestion that the metal veterans' sound check caused "structural damage to the stage" that resulted in both artists canceling their shows at the same Richmond, Virginia, venue.
The trouble began last weekend when Megadeth pulled the plug on their show at Virginia Credit Union Live mere hours before doors were set to open. "Due to unexpected and unpredictable circumstances, our show tonight, Sunday, Sept. 15, in Richmond, Virginia, has been canceled and will not be rescheduled," they wrote on social media. "Refunds are available for tickets purchased via AXS online, by phone or in person at the venue box office or other original points of purchase. We deeply regret this cancellation and hope to see you at another venue soon."
Two days later, Frampton canceled his scheduled performance at the same venue with little notice. During his Thursday performance in Philadelphia, the guitar hero cheekily suggested that Megadeth was to blame.
"So, we had a show canceled the other day because of weather," Frampton told the crowd. "And also Megadeth did a sound check, I think a couple of days before our show, and after they finished their sound check, there was structural damage to the stage. I'm not blaming them — could have been another band — but it looks pretty like it. So, sorry, Megadeth. I had to rat on you."
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Dave Mustaine Says Peter Frampton Is 'Talking Out His Ass'
On Monday, Mustaine issued a formal response to Frampton in which he vehemently denied that his band was to blame for the show cancellations in Richmond.
A statement from Megadeth's PR firm, SRO PR, reads: "Megadeth did not even get a chance to sound check at all in Richmond, Virginia, contrary to what Peter Frampton reports. Megadeth's rigger was in the venue's steel grid system above the stage getting ready to hang the lights when he noticed there was damage to the venue's grid. He pointed this out immediately to the promoters and the venue. It was determined that it was unsafe for Megadeth to hang their production or put the band on stage at the risk of in-house grid failure to support the weight of the touring lighting and sound, which could fall on the band, crew members or audience, as it could cause serious injury or death. Therefore, Megadeth, the local promoter, the venue and booking agents had no other option than to cancel the show."
The news release ended with a statement from Mustaine himself. "It seems Frampton was misinformed about our show being canceled," the bandleader said. "The decision was purely based on safety. It's disappointing when someone you admire talks out their ass about you."
Peter Frampton Responds to Dave Mustaine
Frampton, in turn, responded to Mustaine's statement on Monday afternoon, telling UCR: "It was a joke. I made it up in the moment! I'm so sorry people took me seriously. This was a critical situation. My humble apologies to Megadeth, their crew and their audience."
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Gallery Credit: Eduardo Rivadavia