DAVE MUSTAINE says “ANTHRAX and KERRY KING” are part of MEGADETH's next touring plans
19-10-2026
During an appearance on the October 15 episode of SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine spoke about the band’s touring plans for the coming months, having launched its multi-year farewell trek earlier in 2026. Mustaine said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “There’s a lot of really great touring opportunities for us. We’re gonna be doing the States, we’re gonna be going back to Europe, we’re gonna be going down into the Asian territories. We’re leaving in a couple weeks to New Zealand, and followed up with Australia. And just going back to Korea. We hadn’t been there in almost 20 years. So we’ve got a lot of really great things we’re doing. We’re looking at going back to India. And there’s talk of us going down to South Africa, which would be great, ’cause that’s one of the territories that I haven’t been to that I really wanna go to.”
Mustaine added: “The touring is heavy, and we’ve decided to take out a lot of our friends. ANTHRAX and KERRY KING are going out with us on the next run. After that, we’re going out with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and TESTAMENT (in Europe), which is gonna be great. I love both those bands. And many more. Many, many more.”
Asked if he has something in his mind as to what the last MEGADETH show could look like, when it eventually happens, Mustaine, who is suffering from a degenerative hand condition called Dupuytren’s contracture, said: “No. No, no. I think that that would be a very sad way to end things. I would rather that we just keep going and doing until… Once the shows start to suffer, I’m gonna know, and right now they’re not. And, actually, they’re getting better. I’ve been working strenuously on my voice and been working with a couple of vocal instructors. So, once the shows are gonna be affected, that’s when I’m gonna say, ‘Okay, it’s time to either stop or to do the hand surgery or whatever.’ And at that point, I’m gonna say something to everybody. I would love to come back and say, ‘You know what? I’m sorry, but I need to take time off for a year, two years to heal, because I got the surgery and it was a success, and I can play again, but not right now.’ And then we can all share in the joy and answered prayers. But I’m a realist, and I know for now I need to do what’s right in front of me.”
Following one of the most celebrated years in the band’s legendary career, MEGADETH have recently announced “Breakout: Hibernation Of The Nations”, a European chapter of their multi-year global farewell headline tour. Kicking off March 9, 2027 in Belfast, the 24-date arena run will bring MEGADETH to fans across the United Kingdom and mainland Europe before concluding April 13 in Lisbon, Portugal.
Joining MEGADETH for the entire tour are fellow metal titans BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and TESTAMENT, creating one of the most anticipated heavy metal touring packages of 2027.
The tour follows the overwhelming global success of MEGADETH‘s seventeenth and final studio album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — the band’s first-ever chart-topping album — and reaffirmed their place as one of heavy metal’s most enduring and influential forces.
The European leg will visit 12 of the 22 global markets where the album reached the Top 5, underscoring MEGADETH‘s continued international appeal. Rather than a single farewell run, the band’s final journey has been designed as a multi-year, multi-continent celebration, giving fans around the world several opportunities to experience MEGADETH live.
“This isn’t about saying goodbye,” says MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine. “It’s about celebrating everything we’ve built together over the last four decades. Every city has its own story, every crowd has given us unforgettable memories, and we want to come back to celebrate that with the fans who made it all possible.”
For more than four decades, MEGADETH has continually pushed heavy music forward through fearless songwriting, virtuosic musicianship, and uncompromising live performances. Fans can expect a career-spanning production celebrating every era of MEGADETH, featuring iconic anthems, fan favorites, and selections from the band’s historic No. 1 album.
Cyber Army presale: Tuesday, August 4 at 10:00 a.m. local time
Artist Presale: Wednesday, August 5 at 10:00 a.m. local time
General On Sale: Friday, August 7 at 10:00 a.m. local time
Fans are encouraged to join the MEGADETH Cyber Army for first access to tickets and VIP packages. VIP packages include meet-and-greet opportunities, premium merchandise, early entry, exclusive memorabilia and once-in-a-lifetime fan experiences.
For tickets, VIP packages, and complete tour information, visit www.megadeth.com.
“Breakout: Hibernation Of The Nations” 2027 tour dates:
March 09 - Belfast, UK @ The O2 Belfast
March 11 – London, UK @ OVO Arena Wembley
March 12 - Nottingham, UK @Motorpoint Arena
March 13 - Manchester, UK @ Co-op Live
March 15 - Cardiff, UK @ Utilita Arena
March 16 - Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro
March 18 - Birmingham, UK @ BP Pulse Live
March 19 - Leeds, UK @ First Direct Bank Arena
March 21 - Paris, France @ Zénith Paris – La Villette
March 23 - Brussels, Belgium @ Forest National
March 24 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live
March 25 - Düsseldorf, Germany @ Mitsubishi Electric Halle
March 27 - Copenhagen, Denmark @ K.B. Hallen
March 28 - Oslo, Norway @ Oslo Spektrum
March 30 - Hamburg, Germany @ Sporthalle
April 01 – Berlin, Germany @ Velodrom
April 02 – Kraków, Poland @ Tauron Arena
April 04 – Munich, Germany @ Zenith
April 05 – Bern, Switzerland @ Festhalle Bern
April 06 – Milan, Italy @ Unipol Forum
April 08 – Lyon, France @ Halle Tony Garnier
April 10 – Barcelona, Spain @ Olimpic Arena
April 12 – Madrid, Spain @ Movistar Arena
April 13 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Sagres Campo Pequeno
Dave Mustaine told to Rolling Stone magazine about his version of “Ride The Lightning”, the title track of METALLICA‘s 1984 album for which he got a co-writing credit following his 1983 departure from the band:
“It wasn’t really that I wanted to do my version,” he told Rolling Stone. “I think that we all wanted it to turn out a certain way, and for me, this was about something so much more than how a song turns out. It was about respect.”
Speaking specifically about METALLICA singer-guitarist James Hetfield, Mustaine added: “No one ever talks to me about that. One day he’s a singer, the next day he’s this fucking powerhouse and I’ve always respected him as a guitar player. So I wanted to do something to close the circle on my career right now, since it started off with (Mustaine‘s band before METALLICA) PANIC and several of the songs that ended up in the METALLICA repertoire, I wanted to do something that I felt would be a good song.”
Elaborating on his reasons for recording “Ride The Lightning” for MEGADETH‘s final album, Mustaine said: “Our intentions were pure. I didn’t have any reason I was going to say, ‘Oh, hey man, this thing that we’ve had for 40 years where you guys will never tour with me, me doing the song is going to change things.’ That wasn’t it at all. It was more about: This is my life going forward. I want to do things that are respectable. And I think doing something where we can pay honor to the guy that … I mean, I hate to say this, because it’s just so fucking arrogant, but the guitar playing in METALLICA changed the world.”
In a separate video message (see below), Mustaine said: “So on the new album we recorded ‘Ride The Lightning’, and the reason we did that was, obviously, it’s a song that I had a lot to do with writing it. And James and I, when we were working on the song, it became clear to me, when James first started playing guitar, how good of a guitar player he was. And I thought it would be really cool to close the circle to show respect, to play the songs that I’ve written with METALLICA and to honor our friendship, even though it’s been strained and ruined from emotions over the years when we were not necessarily friendly. But one thing I’ve always had is I’ve always had a tremendous respect for James‘s guitar playing and (METALLICA drummer) Lars‘s (Ulrich) songwriting. So, it was cool to do this and add it to the record. We sped it up just a little teeny bit, and we kind of played around a little bit with the solo and Teemu (Mäntysaari, MEGADETH guitarist) and I both tossed it back and forth to each other. So, you might hear a little bit of some differences with the tempos and, of course, I sing different from James too. But once again, it was about completing the circle and just showing what James and I, as guitar players, did to change the world.”
“Megadeth” track listing:
01. Tipping Point
02. I Don’t Care
03. Hey, God?!
04. Let There Be Shred
05. Puppet Parade
06. Another Bad Day
07. Made To Kill
08. Obey The Call
09. I Am War
10. The Last Note
11. Ride The Lightning (bonus track)
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