Megadeth have fired back at Peter Frampton, who recently claimed he was forced to cancel a live show because the heavy metal outfit had damaged the stage during their soundcheck a few nights before.
It truly is the guitar beef that has taken everyone by surprise. Both acts were scheduled to play at the Virginia Credit Union Live! at Richmond Raceway earlier this month, but both were forced to cancel at the last minute.
At the time, both parties remained tight-lipped over the cancellation. Megadeth cited “unexpected and unpredictable circumstances”, while blues rock guitar great Frampton ambiguously pointed the finger at “unforeseen circumstances”.
However, a few days later, Frampton seemingly shed more light on the situation, alleging it was actually Megadeth’s fault that the shows couldn’t take place.
“We had a show canceled the other day because of the weather," Frampton informed the crowd at a subsequent show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "And also Megadeth did a soundcheck, I think a couple of days before our show, and after they finished their soundcheck, 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.”
Camp Megadeth, clearly unhappy with Frampton’s onstage remarks, have now fired back with a strongly worded statement, with Dave Mustaine accusing the guitarist of, erm, talking out of his “ass”.
“It seems Frampton was misinformed about our show being cancelled,” Mustaine says. “The decision was purely based on safety. It's disappointing when someone you admire talks out their ass about you.”
In a longer statement, the band’s reps said: “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.”
Mustaine recently sat down with Guitarist for in-depth discussion about his guitar collection, during which he discussed the guitars he most misses, his amp philosophy, and why he's now smitten with the amp modeler.
