MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine may be preparing to close the book on the band’s storied career, but he has no intention of ending things on a conventional note. In a new exclusive conversation with Metal Hammer, the thrash metal pioneer revealed that he’s aiming for a truly historic send-off for MEGADETH’s final performance: a concert in outer space.
With the group’s seventeenth album and accompanying world tour set to be their last, Mustaine spoke candidly about wanting the band’s final moment to be nothing short of cosmic.
“I hope we’ll be playing up in space,” Mustaine revealed. “I think that will be a really fitting climax. And I’m not talking about on the side of a vomit comet. A gig on the Moon, a full moon landing, that would be cool.”
His vision is inspired in part by the rise of commercial and celebrity space travel. Mustaine cited recent ventures involving names like William Shatner and Richard Branson as evidence that performing off-world is no longer a far-fetched fantasy.
“I saw they sent up a bunch of celebrities into space and I thought ‘Well, if them, why not me?’, you know?” Mustaine said. “I’m just watching how that all progresses. I know Elon Musk and Richard Branson were working on interstellar travel. I think people are going to be travelling to space a lot sooner than you think.”
When asked if he was being serious, Mustaine insisted he meant every word, noting that the line between high-altitude flight and the edge of space is already surprisingly thin.
“People already travel over 40,000 feet altitude, and when you get to that kind of atmosphere you’re basically already in space,” he argued. “So I do think it’s going to happen. The question is, are people going to be able to inhabit the moon?”
Despite his fascination with the idea, Mustaine made it clear he has no desire to settle on another world. He joked about the practical challenges of life beyond Earth — particularly the idea of relocating to Mars.
“Personally I’d never want to live on a planet away from the world we live in,” he said. “People were talking about a trip to Mars, but all I can imagine is somebody suddenly going ‘Oh! I forgot my toothbrush!’ That would be the longest flight ever!”
As Megadeth prepares for its grand finale, fans can look forward to the band’s upcoming and final studio album, Megadeth, which is set to arrive on January 23, 2026 via Dave Mustaine’s Tradecraft imprint under Frontiers Label Group’s new BLKIIBLK label.
While Megadeth marks the end of the band’s studio journey, the road ahead will still be long — at least for now. In a recent interview with U.K.’s Kerrang! magazine, Mustaine revealed just how long fans can expect the final touring cycle to last. “We’re easily talking about touring for another three to five years,” he said.
Mustaine also reflected on the passing years, acknowledging that he’ll be nearing a major personal milestone by the time the farewell run is complete. “If we’re going to be doing it for that long then, s**t, I’ll be looking at the birthday I don’t even want to think about,” he added.
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