Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine Reveals Band Planning Global Farewell Tour In 2026

Dave Mustaine, lead singer of Megadeth, revealed the band plans to retire after their next studio album and tour. He shared the band plans to tour in 2026, with dates expected to be announced later this year. The forthcoming album will be released via Mustaine’s Tradecraft imprint in partnership with Frontiers Label Group’s BLKIIBLK label.

“There’s so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional,” Mustaine said in a statement. “Most of them don’t get to go out on their own terms on top, and that’s where I’m at in my life right now. I have traveled the world and have made millions upon millions of fans and the hardest part of all of this is saying goodbye to them.

“We can’t wait for you to hear this album and see us on tour,” his statement continued. “If there was ever a perfect time for us to put out a new album, it’s now. If there was ever a perfect time to tour the world, it’s now. This is also a perfect time for us to tell you that it’s our last studio album. We’ve made a lot of friends over the years, and I hope to see all of you on our global farewell tour. Don’t be mad, don’t be sad, be happy for us all, come celebrate with me these next few years. We have done something together that’s truly wonderful and will probably never happen again. We started a musical style, we started a revolution, we changed the guitar world and how it’s played, and we changed the world. The bands I played in have influenced the world. I love you all for it. Thank you for everything.”

Megadeth is managed by CTK Enterprises’ Danny Nozell, Steve Ross, Kyle McClain and Justis Mustaine, and booked by UTA’s Neil Warnock. With 440 headline reports submitted to Pollstar’s Boxoffice dating back to 1999, the band has sold a total of 1.7 million tickets, grossing $91.5 million.

Megadeth first formed in 1983, and are long-considered one of the “big four” American thrash metal bands, alongside Slayer, Anthrax and Metallica. Their debut album, Killing Is My Business… and Business is Good! arrived in 1985 via independent record label Combat Records. Their most recent album, The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! arrived in 2022.