During a December 5 visit to SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk“, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine opened up about the group’s newly revealed farewell tour. The run is set to begin officially in 2026 under the name “This Was Our Life”. It will support Megadeth’s upcoming final self-titled album Megadeth, due out in January, closing a career that has stretched across more than 40 years for the 64-year-old singer-guitarist.
When Eddie Trunk asked whether the band might wrap the final show with an expanded lineup featuring all living former members, Dave Mustaine explained why that scenario likely won’t happen (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “Well, I can’t really do that, because of the behavior of one of the band members in the past. I just can’t — I can’t. Because, first off, it would be unfair to the other band members if I didn’t play with them as well.”
“But the thing about what we did with [former Megadeth guitarist] Marty [Friedman] in Japan [in early 2024], that was a no-brainer. That was brilliant. And I love Marty. We had our separation, and he went his way, and we went our way. But it was a very, very intense relationship I had with Marty, because that was the first relationship I had with a guitar player,” Mustaine continued.
“My relationship with [former Megadeth guitarist] Chris [Poland] was really great, but it wasn’t as good as it was with Marty. My relationship with [former Megadeth guitarist] Jeff [Young] was good, but it wasn’t as good as it was with Marty. And I probably wouldn’t have a problem playing with any of the members of those two lineups, except the fact that [former Megadeth drummer] Gar’s [Samuelson] is deceased, and [I’m] just not gonna do anything that is gonna, in any way, seem unfair to the other bandmembers,” he added.
The host then asked if fans should expect a clearly announced last-ever concert or a quieter end to touring. Mustaine said he still isn’t sure how the final moment will be handled: “I don’t know. I was joking around with our management and said, ‘You guys should probably book some fake dates at the end of the tour that I don’t know about so I won’t go out there on the last date and just blubber like a fucking 175-pound wuss.”
When the conversation shifted to why Megadeth is intended to be the band’s final album and why the farewell decision is happening now, Mustaine pointed to ongoing physical issues: “It had been a long time coming — just physical stuff that was going on with my hands… My hands were letting me down. And there were other things that were difficult because of all the stuff going on in my neck and my trunk. The entire area there has arthritis, and it has discs that are bulging. I’ve got a broken lumbar bone. Of course, you know I have my back fused, up by my shoulders, by my neck. And just a lot of stuff.”
He added that he’s long believed the right time to step back is when he can’t meet his own standard night after night: “I always said when it got to the point where I was unable to give a hundred percent every night, that’s when I was gonna start considering winding down. And it wasn’t that I was unable to give a hundred percent, because we finished the record, and I think we did a good job on it, but there was a period when we were working, and I said to my manager, I said, ‘I don’t know how much longer I can do this. My hands are really hurting.'”
“And I didn’t mean to set the ball rolling. Honestly, I was just making conversation, and it turned into me talking to the band guys and sleeping on it, and talking to my family and praying on it. And the answer was clear to me that by the time we’re done with the record, I’m gonna know how the record’s gonna do,” he further added.
“If the record does really well, then I’ll be able to have one last really good tour. And the part about the farewell thing, it’s kind of like the same thing, isn’t it? We’ve got some dates that we wanna play to say goodbye to our friends.”
From his perspective, a proper farewell also means a serious global schedule rather than a small handful of appearances: “The thing is, we’re an American band, but we play everywhere. So it’s not like we just are weekend warriors, as country acts here in the States. We’ve got a lot of touring to do in order to do our farewell properly.”
After Eddie Trunk noted that some veteran acts continue too long even when they can’t fully deliver, Mustaine agreed that Megadeth shouldn’t do that if the performance standard slips: “I don’t think there’s any reason [for us] to [keep playing when we are not able to deliver a hundred percent],” he said. “I mean, unless you’re financially in a bad way and you need to keep playing, which, by the grace of God, I’ve been successful. I’ve been able to pay all my bills. All the band guys, they get their paychecks on time. We do everything right by the book.”
“So, some people, as I said, may have to keep playing, because there’s nothing else for them to do. Now, when I think about what I gonna do after I hang the guitar up, that’s in relation to touring, and I believe that I’m going to keep doing music in some way, shape, or form,” Mustaine concluded.
But not in the fashion that I was doing with Megadeth because if I can’t do it and I need to stop playing with my first love, I’m not gonna go out and try and do it again with someone else.”
