New Megadeth Bassist Won’t Be Jason Newsted
Fans can cross at least one prominent candidate off the list of potential new bassists for Megadeth: Jason Newsted’s wife, Nicole, says the former Metallica bassist will not be replacing David Ellefson in the band.
Although Newsted performed the Dave Mustaine-era Metallica song “Phantom Lord” live in 2013…
…the following year, Mustaine kicked Newsted off an Australian tour. So it’s not exactly shocking that Newsted isn’t now joining Megadeth.
Megadeth fired Ellefson last week amidst an ongoing sex scandal. After that firing, Ellefson released a statement asserting that he’s taking legal action against the person who leaked a series of private video chats with in which Ellefson masturbates while speaking with a woman who is not his wife, as well as screen caps of text exchanges between Ellefson and the young woman in question. Although the leaker says Ellefson groomed the young woman, and alleged that she was underage at the time, Ellefson has denied those accusations.
Newsted left Metallica in 2001. In 2014, he claimed that Metallica frontman James Hetfield felt so threatened by Newsted’s then-side-project, Echobrain, that he implied the bassist would be fired from the band if he didn’t table the other group.
Megadeth will have to choose a new bassist soon: they begin a tour with Lamb of God, Trivium, and In Flames in August. Dates are below.
8/20 Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater [tickets]
8/21 Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory [tickets]
8/22 Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion [tickets]
8/24 El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center [tickets]
8/25 Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater [tickets]
8/27 Denver, CO @ Ball Arena [tickets]
8/29 Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Federal Theatre [tickets]
8/31 Reno, NV @ Reno Events Center [tickets]
9/1 Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheatre [tickets]
9/2 Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion [tickets]
9/4 Portland, OR @ Moda Center [tickets]
9/5 Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre [tickets]
9/9 Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago [tickets]
9/11 Danville, VA @ Blue Ridge Festival [tickets]
9/12 Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater [tickets]
9/13 Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion [tickets]
9/15 Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion [tickets]
9/16 Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center [tickets]
9/18 Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center [tickets]
9/19 Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre [tickets]
9/20 Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion [tickets]
9/22 Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP [tickets]
9/24 Mount Pleasant, MI @ Soaring Eagle Casino Amphitheatre [tickets]
9/26 St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis [tickets]
9/28 Minneapolis, MN @ Armory [tickets]
9/30 Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage [tickets]
10/1 Laval, QC @ Place Bell [tickets]
10/2 Quebec City, QC @ Centre Videotron [tickets]
