Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson has expressed scepticism about the thrash metal legends’ announced retirement plans, suggesting the farewell tour might be little more than a marketing ploy to boost ticket sales.
Speaking to Alternative Nation (as per Metal Injection), Ellefson, who served as Megadeth’s bassist from 1984 to 2002 and again from 2010 to 2021, questioned the sincerity behind the band’s decision to call it quits after one final album and tour. “We’ve seen this movie before: boost ticket sales, go away, then the bigger offers come after everybody’s gone away for a couple years,” Ellefson stated. “I mean, we’ve seen how this works.”
The bassist’s comments come months after Megadeth announced in August that they would split up following the release of their upcoming self-titled album, due in 2026, and a corresponding farewell tour. Dave Mustaine cited a desire to retire while the band remained “on top” as the primary motivation behind the decision.
However, Ellefson remains unconvinced about the permanence of this retirement announcement. “The farewell thing has been thrown around so much by so many people that it doesn’t have much weight to it,” he explained, though he added that if Mustaine genuinely needs to step away, he should “go enjoy the rest of your life.”
Despite his scepticism, Ellefson offered a constructive suggestion for how Megadeth could properly conclude their 41-year career. Drawing inspiration from Ozzy Osbourne‘s recent Birmingham farewell show with Black Sabbath’s original members, Ellefson proposed a similar reunion featuring former Megadeth members.
“What we saw in Birmingham, in my opinion, was 100 percent on point the right way to say goodbye,” Ellefson noted. “You bring back the OGs: Geezer [Butler], Tony [Iommi], Bill [Ward] and Ozzy, the four OGs. The four guys that started it all get to say goodbye together, to each other, to the fans, the fans say goodbye to them.”
Ellefson’s departure from Megadeth in 2021 followed a personal scandal involving leaked intimate video content. The band now features James LoMenzo on bass and recently released “Tipping Point”, the lead single from their forthcoming final album.
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Megadeth are currently supporting Disturbed across European venues, with their next performance scheduled at the Tauron Arena in Kraków, Poland on 10th October 10th. No specific dates for the farewell tour have been announced, leaving fans uncertain about when they might witness the band’s supposed final performances.
Ellefson continues his musical career with bands Dieth, The Lucid, and Kings of Thrash, the latter featuring another former Megadeth guitarist, Jeff Young.
