Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson has once again addressed the possibility of taking part in the band’s upcoming farewell tour — and made it clear that he believes he should be there.
Speaking in a new interview with Argentina’s UnDinamo – La Última Radio De Rock, Ellefson was asked whether he would be open to joining other former members, including Marty Friedman, for the band’s final run of shows.
“I have always said that I am available for that,” Ellefson said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “And I would do it because I think any reason that I’m not there now is unfounded. It’s untruthful and it’s unfair because clearly there’s nothing wrong. So, I would hope and even pray to [God] that any misunderstanding, any bitterness would be removed, that that would somehow be dissipated.
“It’s funny — you make your first record, you have no fans. You just make your first album. Then you start to get fans who [say], ‘Hey, give us more.’ So you make album two, like we do. And then at that point, you — I feel — have an obligation to listen to your fans. You don’t have to do everything they say, like, ‘Make ‘Rust In Peace Part II’,’ ’cause creatively the spirit leads you where it’s supposed to go. But I think, especially when you’re playing concerts — making albums is music business; playing concerts is show business. They’re two separate things that kind of come together. When the fans, who have made all of this possible, really, ’cause Capitol Records wouldn’t have signed us if we didn’t have fans. Live Nation doesn’t book the concert if there’s no fans. So, the fans are the entire reason that you live to have album two and beyond. Album two and beyond is because of fans. So, to me, you give them what they want. Even my little tour here [of South America], ‘Basstory’. It’s me telling a story of my life, but if there’s nobody to come and hear the story, I’m just sitting on a stool by myself. [Laughs]”
He also pointed to Friedman’s brief return to the Megadeth stage in 2023 as a sign that reconciliation is possible.
“So for me, yes. Marty — I can’t speak for anyone else, but Marty coming back to play a couple of shows [with MEGADETH in 2023] showed his willingness, which I think was great,” David said. “I would wish that Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH mainman]… Look, if it were just me and Dave sitting here, I’m sure everything would be fine, but there’s a lot of people with influences, and that can be sticky. So my hope is that the voice of the fans gets louder than any other voice that would tear it apart.”
However, Dave Mustaine has previously indicated that a full-scale reunion of past members is unlikely. During a December appearance on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Mustaine addressed the idea of featuring all former members at the band’s final show.
“Well, I can’t really do that, because of the behavior of one of the bandmembers in the past,” Dave said. “I just can’t — I can’t. Because, first off, it would be unfair to the other bandmembers if I didn’t play with them as well.”
“But the thing about what we did with Marty in Japan [in early 2023], that was a no-brainer,” he continued. “That was brilliant. And I love Marty. We had our separation, and he went his way and we went our way. But it was a very, very intense relationship I had with Marty, because that was the first relationship I had with a guitar player. My relationship with [former MEGADETH guitarist] Chris [Poland] was really great, but it wasn’t as good as it was with Marty. My relationship with [former MEGADETH guitarist] Jeff [Young] was good, but it wasn’t as good as it was with Marty. And I probably wouldn’t have a problem playing with any of the members of those two lineups, except the fact that [former MEGADETH drummer] Gar‘s [Samuelson] deceased, and [I’m] just not gonna do anything that is gonna, in any way, seem unfair to the other bandmembers.”
The farewell discussions come at a significant moment for the band. MEGADETH released their final studio album, Megadeth, on January 23, 2026. The LP marked the band’s first recording with guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari and their first since 2009’s Endgame to feature bassist James LoMenzo.
The album also became a historic milestone for the thrash metal legends, debuting at No. 1 on the U.S. chart with 73,000 equivalent album units in its first week. Of that total, 69,000 came from pure album sales, giving MEGADETH their first-ever chart-topping release in the United States.
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