Aerosmith were on a career resurgence in 1993 after a pretty rough period which saw guitarists Joe Perry and Bradley Whitford leaving the group in the early 80’s. The band reunited in the mid-80’s and a collaboration with Run DMC in 1986 effectively revitalized their career, introducing them to a new audience.
Following that collaboration, the band released a string of successful albums including Permanent Vacation in 1987, Pump in 1989, and 1993’s Get a Grip.
Aerosmith Takes Megadeth on Tour
One of the bands Aerosmith took on tour with them in 1993 was the heavy metal band Megadeth. What was supposed to be a 25 date tour with Dave Mustaine and company, saw the band abruptly fired after only 7 shows.
Aerosmith took out a variety of bands on their Get a Grip tour including the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 4 Non Blondes, Soul Asylum, Collective Soul and Therapy. One of the stranger openers was Megadeth, given the band’s different style of music.
According to the book Rust in Peace: The Inside Story of the Megadeth Masterpiece, Mustaine struggled with addiction and the only reason the band went on tour with Aerosmith was because the band’s handlers thought in order for Mustaine to stay sober, he should only be on sober tours. Due to Mustaine’s struggles with addiction, the band missed out on some pretty big opportunities including opening for Pantera the same year.
Megadeth Has A Rocky Start on Aerosmith Tour
Bassist David Ellefson wrote in his autobiography My Life With Deth: Discovering Meaning In A Life Of Rock & Roll, things seemed to get off to a bit of a rocky start on the Aerosmith tour. Two shows into the tour, Mustaine was unhappy with the way things were produced.
According to Ellefson, the band wasn’t getting a soundcheck or sufficient space on stage, meaning that the stage setup had no special backdrop or feeling of even being a Megadeth show.
Steven Tyler Offers Addiction Support to Megadeth Members
Ellefson and Mustaine felt that they had already paid their dues as a band and they weren’t some unknown group that Aerosmith would typically take on the road with them. Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler talked to Ellefson and Mustaine directly to smooth things over. It turned out that Tyler, who had gone through his own addictions a decade prior, had offered help to Ellefson at one point prior to the tour who was also struggling with addiction.
Remembering that important moment in his life, the bassist thanked the singer for his help. Tyler was now offering Mustaine any help he needed to stay clean.
Dave Mustaine Frustration Begin to Mount
Things initially seemed to turn around at that point, or so Megadeth thought. Mustaine told the Houston Press that assurances made to the band about their sound check, playing time, signage, and stage space, fell short of what he was promised. Mustaine’s frustrations only grew from there.
The interviewer from the Houston Press, who was at the show in Houston where Megadeth opened for Aerosmith, remembered the frontman’s combative and angry attitude in the comments he made to the audience that night.
Seven dates into the tour, the band was apparently fired by Aerosmith. Megadeth’s label Capitol Records issued a statement at the time, claiming that the band quit the tour over ”artistic restrictions”.
”With Megadeth, we thought we had a hard-rockin’ animal…” – Joe Perry, Aerosmith
Aerosmith didn’t see it that way. Guitarist Joe Perry told Entertainment Weekly and hinted the band were wimps claiming, ”With Megadeth, we thought we had a hard-rockin’ animal that would lubricate the first 10 rows and get the audience ready for us.”
Entertainment Weekly supposedly spoke to a person who worked with Aerosmith who claimed it was Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine who was the real reason they were dropped from the tour, claiming that Mustaine was a giant pain in the butt, ”He would piss and moan and whine. What he was really upset with was that Aerosmith weren’t hanging out with him.”
Mustaine claimed that the band walked away from the tour saying, “It’s hard to dunk on someone when they’re walking away.”
There were apparently several moments on tour that created bad blood with Aerosmith. According to Spin magazine, Mustaine allegedly blew his nose into an Aerosmith t-shirt that was tossed on stage during a show.
“Yeah, I think we oughta be headlining but we don’t mind because everyone knows this is Aerosmith’s last hurrah.” – Dave Mustain, Megadeth
Another sore point was a radio interview Mustaine gave in which he said, “Yeah, I think we oughta be headlining but we don’t mind because everyone knows this is Aerosmith’s last hurrah.” Mustaine told Spin magazine that by the time he made those comments on radio, they already wanted off the tour.
Steven Tyler meanwhile, replied in the press saying, “Dave, we’d like to help you out. Which way did you come in?” Ouch!
Megadeth Discover They Are Booted from the Tour
Ellefson revealed in his book how the band learned they were fired. He stated the band was in Lubbock, Texas ahead of a scheduled show and went to a local Mexican restaurant. Whe waitress who was waiting on their table informed them that she had heard that the band Jackyl was going to open for Aerosmith that night, not Megadeth.
Ellefson felt deflated by the news and by the fact that they had lost several other important opportunities including the ability to tour with Pantera and White Zombie, and the fact that the band had to cancel Japan not once, but twice.
Ellefson also claimed in his book that it would soon spell the beginning of the end for guitarist Marty Freidman. Mustaine reflected back on where his anger came from on that tour during an interview with the Houston Press, “That was a different Dave before I was saved and doing heroin.”
“I wanted my life to be better and I saw that theirs was because they had gotten sober.” – Dave Mustain
Mustain also thinks that some jealousy played a part in his actions, “I wanted my life to be better and I saw that theirs was because they had gotten sober. So, yeah, we were probably a little snotty.”
Like this story? Check out Guns N’ Roses Axl Rose’s Disastrous Return
Check out our YouTube channel