During a December 5 chat on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine opened up about the group’s newly revealed “farewell” tour.
Officially set to begin in 2026, the run is titled the “This Was Our Life” tour and will back Megadeth‘s upcoming self-titled final album, Megadeth. The announcement signals the closing chapter of a career that has spanned more than four decades.
When asked why the band’s last record will be Megadeth and why he’s choosing a “farewell” approach now, Mustaine pointed to longstanding 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,” Mustaine explained.
Mustaine explained that he’s always measured his future by whether he could still perform at maximum level. The decision wasn’t triggered by a single dramatic moment, but by a gradual realization while the album was being made:
“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 just was 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.
“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.”
Mustaine also emphasized that a proper send-off requires time and global reach, not just a short domestic lap: “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 many veteran acts stay onstage past their prime, Mustaine agreed that continuing without being able to deliver at full strength doesn’t make sense for Megadeth, especially given the band’s stable situation: “I don’t think there’s any reason [for us] to [keep playing when we are not able to deliver a hundred percent],” Mustaine 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 all 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. 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,” he added.
In short, the upcoming cycle looks like a deliberate, carefully planned goodbye; one shaped by health realities, pride in performance standards, and a desire to thank the worldwide fanbase properly before closing the book on Megadeth‘s touring legacy.
Megadeth has a whole bunch of farewell dates lined up for 2026 so far, all of which you can find below. And if you miss these, I’m sure it’s not an issue considering Dave Mustaine said this tour is gonna be going on for “three to five years.” Get the full list of dates below and get your tickets here.
Megadeth also recently announced they’re teaming up with Trafalgar Releasing for a worldwide cinema screening of the new Megadeth new film Megadeth: Behind The Mask. The film will hit over 1,000 screens worldwide on January 22, 2026.
1/17 La Vergne, TN Let There Be Shred: Immersive Listening Event
2/15 Victoria, BC Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
2/17 Abbotsford, BC Rogers Forum
2/18 Kelowna, BC Prospera Place
2/20 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
2/21 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place
2/24 Saskatoon, SK SaskTel Centre
2/25 Winnipeg, MB Canada Life Centre
2/28 London, ON Canada Life Place
3/1 Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire Centre
3/3 Halifax, NS Scotiabank Centre
3/4 Moncton, NB Avenir Centre
3/6 Québec City, QC Videotron Centre
4/23 Lima, Peru Costa 21
4/26 Bogotá, Colombia Movistar Arena
4/27 Bogotá, Colombia Movistar Arena
4/30 Buenos Aires, Argentina TBD
5/10 Mexico City, Mexico Arena Ciudad de Mexico
5/11 Mexico City, Mexico Arena Ciudad de Mexico
5/13 Guadalajara, Mexico Arena Guadalajara
5/2 São Paulo, Brazil Espaco Unimed
5/4 Santiago, Chile Movistar Arena
5/5 Santiago, Chile Movistar Arena
5/8 Monterrey, Mexico Arena Monterrey
6/10 Hradec Králové, Czechia Rock For People – Park 360
6/11 Luxembourg, LUX Rockhal
6/14 Ferrara, Italy Ferrara Summer Festival – Piazza Ariostea
6/15 Zurich, SWI Halle 622
6/16 Vienna, AUT Gasometer
6/2 Hanover, Germany Heinz von Heiden Arena
6/23 Istanbul, TUR KüçükÇiftlik Park
6/26 Helsinki, Finland Suvilahti – TUSKA
6/28 Almaty, KAZ Spartak Stadium
6/7 Gelsenkirchen, GER Amphitheater
8/29 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
8/30 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
9/11 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
9/12 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
9/15 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium
9/19 Shakopee, MN Mystic Lake Amphitheater
9/22 Tinley Park, IL Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
9/25 Los Angeles, CA BMO Stadium
9/26 Los Angeles, CA BMO Stadium
9/29 San Antonio, TX Alamodome
9/3 Montréal, QC Parc Jean Drapeau
9/5 Harrison, NJ Sports Illustrated Stadium
9/6 Harrison, NJ Sports Illustrated Stadium
9/9 Boston, MA TD Garden
