The art of a good old-fashioned rock feud just isn’t what it used to be. These days, most artists keep their rivalries private, likely due to years of media training. But back in the day, bands weren’t afraid to air their grievances publicly, and few rock clashes were as awkward as the one between Aerosmith and Megadeth.
Touring is already grueling, even for bands used to chaos both on and off the stage. But things get even worse when your opening act seems determined to make things miserable. That was the situation Aerosmith found themselves in during their massive Get a Grip tour, which ran for 18 months between 1993 and 1994. And the biggest headache? Their support act, Megadeth.
A Bad Match from the Start
On paper, it was an odd pairing. Aerosmith, the veteran rock giants, had embraced their mainstream appeal, while Megadeth was one of the leading forces in thrash metal—a genre that prided itself on being aggressive and anti-commercial. While unexpected musical pairings sometimes lead to magic (like Aerosmith’s collaboration with Run-DMC), this was not one of those cases. Instead, it was a toxic mix of clashing styles, egos, and bad blood.
And at the heart of it was Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine, who seemed determined to turn the tour into a battleground.
Mustaine’s Onstage Outburst
Mustaine later claimed that Megadeth was treated poorly on the road by Aerosmith, but his actions suggest something else was at play. Instead of keeping tensions behind the scenes, he took his frustrations to the stage, bad-mouthing Aerosmith in front of their own audience. He even went so far as to claim the band was past their prime—an ironic statement considering Get a Grip was a multi-platinum success at the time.
Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry didn’t take kindly to the disrespect. Looking back on the moment, he recalled:
“For the most part, we had an easy and respectful relationship with other rock bands. But at the start of the Get a Grip tour, when Megadeth was opening for us, there was a nasty moment. Dave Mustaine was onstage bad-mouthing us for being over the hill. Not cool. We dropped them from that tour.”
And just like that, Megadeth was out.
A Missed Opportunity
For Mustaine, the consequences were immediate. Megadeth lost a massive platform, and whatever tensions had been brewing exploded into a full-blown rift between the two bands. In hindsight, it was a textbook case of ego overshadowing opportunity.
Rock history is full of feuds, but this one ended with a simple truth—no matter how big you are, publicly trashing the headliners is never a great career move.
