DAVE MUSTAINE On MEGADETH's Touring Plans: 'ANTHRAX And KERRY KING Are Going Out With Us On The Next Run'

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."

MEGADETH's 24-date "Breakout: Hibernation Of The Nations" European tour will kick off March 9, 2027 in Belfast and will conclude on 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.

"Megadeth" debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart after earning 73,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending January 29, 2026, according to Luminate. The bulk of that sum was driven by pure album sales (purchases of physical and digital copies of the album),totaling 69,000.

The follow-up to "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", "Megadeth" was released via Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint on Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label.

"Megadeth" also claimed the top spot in Australia (highest previous position No. 2) and Austria (highest previous position No. 8). Other top five spots included No. 2 in Finland (and No. 1 physical),Sweden (plus No. 1 physical; highest previous position No. 9) and Belgium (highest previous position: No. 6); No. 3 in both the U.K. and Germany (highest previous position No. 6); No. 4 in the Netherlands (highest previous position No. 7); and No. 5 in both Italy (highest previous position No. 15) and New Zealand (highest chart position ever).

For its final album, MEGADETH once again worked with Chris Rakestraw, a producer, mixer and engineer who previously worked on MEGADETH's last two LPs, the aforementioned "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" and 2016's "Dystopia".

Photo credit: Ross Halfin