The Megadeth/Newsted/Soundwave incident has taken a rather gnarly turn as Dave Mustaine has now pulled all upcoming Aussie shows – including Soundwave itself.
Jason Newsted was set to support MegaDave et al on some Soundwave sideshows as both are billed to appear at the Australian mega-festival when it kicks off later this month, but a statement from the Soundwave organisers last week explicitly stated that Newsted had in fact been kicked off the shows “at the request of Megadeth”.
What followed was a fierce rebuttal from Megadeth’s management, who insisted, ”Dave Mustaine is not responsible for booting Newsted off. Dave did not put him on the bill and did not take him off the bill.”
Now it looks like Megadeth won’t make it over to Australia at all as a post on their official Facebook confirms that the thrash legends will not be appearing unless an apology from Soundwave’s organisers is released.
“Due to circumstances beyond its control, unfortunately, Megadeth has to cancel their Australian dates,” says MegaDave. “Megadeth’s decision is unrelated to the fact that Jason Newsted is performing at Soundwave. Jason and I spoke recently and continue to be friends.”
“All I asked for was an apology for blaming me for something I didn’t do,” adds Dave. “I am still willing to play, but the promoter would rather not apologise and prefers to say I asked him to lie, which I didn’t.
“Am I the only one that sees how easy it is to fix this? The [Soundwave promoter] AJ Maddah that I know is a wise and caring man, and I don’t know what has happened to my old friend.
“My bags are packed, Aussie fans.”
AJ Maddah has since replied via Twitter, noting, “I am not sure where and how you believe you are owed an apology. And if you are, it should be from your own reps! All you are doing by cancelling is punishing the fans who have had no part in any of this.
“Your reps approved your supports and sent clear instructions. They even approved artwork and press release. If you have a quarrel, or you were not consulted, then your issue is with your reps and not Australian reps or your old friend!”
So, will Megadeth make their Aussie dates after all? And what’s Jason got to say about all this? Watch this space…
