Bands on the Soundwave 2014 lineup appear to be dropping like flies. Two more artists have pulled out of the festival with just days left before the festival kicks off this weekend.
The first cancellation is Newsted – the titular heavy rock band of ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted.
Following in the footsteps of Megadeth – the band they were set to support for their headlined Sidewave shows before they were unceremoniously booted from the bill – Newsted will no longer be performing at Soundwave after issuing a statement on their official Facebook that simply reads: “The NEWSTED Band will not be appearing or performing live in February or March 2014.”
The news is clearly a shock to Soundwave organisers, who had Newsted locked in to play on Stage 4 at the festival, just before headline act Mastodon, in Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as a mid-afternoon slot in Sydney and Brisbane.
Trying to find Newsted and figure out what is going on. The band’s equipment just arrived in Brisbane so not sure what’s up.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) February 19, 2014
Newsted were also scheduled to perform co-headline Sidewave shows with Testament in Sydney and Melbourne next week after they were allegedly dropped from Megadeth’s shows “at the request” of the band, according to a Soundwave statement; a charge that Megadeth frontman (and friend of Jason Newsted) Dave Mustaine denied, saying their requests were “ignored”, before officially pulling out of the festival. “The NEWSTED Band will not be appearing or performing live in February or March 2014.”
Along with Newsted, Hardcore Superstar will no longer be part of the Soundwave 2014 lineup.
The Swedish metal band had already “threatened to cancel if they [didn’t] get a late spot,” according to Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah, unhappy with their scheduled 11.30am slot on Stage 6 of the festival.
Unfazed by the threat of blackmail, Maddah made no qualms from dropping Hardcore Superstar from the lineup, clearly tired of the “pissing contests” between bands over festival playing times, as an irritable tweet that surfaced during last week’s revised timetabling revealed.
Dear #SW14 Bands, my priority is to program the best day possible for the fans, not to participate in your pissing contests w other bands.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) February 16, 2014
Hardcore Superstar and Newsted are now the sixth and seventh bands to pull out of Soundwave 2014, following on from Desaparecidos dropping out of the festival yesterday due to “an issue of a personal nature” joining the growing list of cancellations (including Whitechapel, Megadeth, Stone Temple Pilots, and Sevendust). That also means yet another revision to the festival set times.
The raft of bands pulling out of the festival isn’t the only issues the festival is facing. Maddah has predicted that this year’s edition of Soundwave in Perth could be its last, after tweeting “I think we’ll be East Coast only after this year,” indicating that the festival’s fate in WA could mirror that of Big Day Out’s – which will no longer be returning to the West for 2015 and beyond after this year’s edition.
View the current edition of the Soundwave 2014 set times below. Tone Deaf will update with the revised timetables – following Newsted and Hardcore Superstar’s pull-outs – when they are expected to be released later today.
Soundwave 2014 Set Times – Brisbane
View/download the Brisbane Soundwave Map here
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Soundwave 2014 Set Times – Sydney
View/download the Sydney Soundwave Map here
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Soundwave 2014 Set Times – Melbourne
View/download the Melbourne Soundwave Map here
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Soundwave 2014 Set Times – Adelaide
View/download the Adelaide Soundwave Map here
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Soundwave 2014 Set Times – Perth
View/download the Perth Soundwave Map here
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Soundwave 2014 Dates, Tickets
Saturday 22nd February – Brisbane, RNA Showgrounds
Sunday 23rd February – Sydney, Olympic Park
Friday 28th February – Melbourne, Flemington Racecourse
Saturday 1st March – Adelaide, Bonython Park
Monday 3rd March – Perth, Arena Joondalup
Tickets on sale via: soundwavefestival.com, oztix.com.au & other outlets
