Dave Mustaine lashes out at Judas Priest guitar tech for soundchecking during Megadeth set

Things were going swimmingly during Megadeth’s Saturday (July 2) set at Barcelona Rock Fest. The band had played hits including Hangar 18, Angry Again and Sweating Bullets, and the crowd were, as usual, lapping it up.

But things took a turn for the worse after the group wrapped up Cryptic Writings cut Trust, when frontman Dave Mustaine became annoyed at a Judas Priest guitar tech who was soundchecking on an adjacent stage nearby.

For reference, Barcelona Rock Fest, situated at Parc de Can Zam, just 20 minutes from the city center, operates a dual-mainstage setup; when an artist is playing on one stage, another is getting ready to perform on the other. 

But in the case of Barcelona Rock Fest, both stages are relatively close together, so soundcheck noise was always likely to bleed into another artist’s performance. And that’s exactly what happened on Saturday.

In fan-shot footage from the event, Megadeth can be seen halting their set, with Mustaine looking to his left and giving the guitar tech for Judas Priest – who were due to perform shortly after – a strong verbal reprimand.

“I’m gonna wait until he’s done checking his guitar over there,” Mustaine says, before becoming more enraged.

“Walking several feet further in the direction of the second mainstage, Mustaine gives the guitar tech the finger, before continuing: “The last night of the tour – we went all the way to the last fucking night, and then some pussy over on the stage next to us has to start playing while we’re playing. How fucking pathetic, amateur piece of shit you are.”

After waiting several more moments, Mustaine concludes his tirade, adding: “Can we proceed now? Fucking c**t.” 

The band subsequently attempted to launch into Countdown to Extinction classic Symphony of Destruction, playing only one note before Mustaine threw his pick into the crowd and muttered, “Motherfuckers.” The song’s choral intro then began and the show proceeded.

It’s unclear whether the members of Judas Priest were aware at the time of Mustaine’s rant. The Rob Halford-fronted metal gods played shortly after Megadeth wrapped up, with guitarist Glenn Tipton – who has largely taken a backseat after his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2018 – joining the band for a trio of tracks.

After tearing through the a set that featured You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’, Turbo Lover and Hell Patrol, among others, Priest called Tipton onstage during the encore to help them perform Metal Gods, Breaking the Law and Living After Midnight.