Dirk Verbeuren Talks About Recent Megadeth Lineup Changes: “It’s Life”
Bands change members all the time, and metal bands especially seem to be a revolving door. Metal bands that still have all of their original members are about as rare as an apology from Donald Trump. That can mean a lot of emotional upheaval as band members come in and out of a project, but for drummer Dirk Verbeuren of Megadeth, that’s just life.
In a recent interview with Portuguese YouTube series Underground’s Voice (that was transcribed by Blabbermouth), Verbeuren was asked how he dealt with some of the lineup changes in Megadeth, most notably the recent departure of guitarist Kiko Loureiro who was replaced with Teemu Mäntysaari, and the return of James LoMenzo who originally played bass for the band from 2006 through 2010:
“It’s life. Things happen. It’s difficult being in a band, especially for an amount of time. And it’s like any job. Oftentimes they say, [being] in a band, it’s kind of like a marriage. And sometimes it doesn’t work out. People have things happen in their life. Like in Kiko’s case, for example, he had family things happening that demanded that he should be there for his family. And we tour a lot, and it just became very difficult for him to really enjoy and be present on tour, because of the stuff that was happening back at home. So I think we all believe that he made the right decision, because family comes first, of course; his children come first. But that’s how it is. And luckily, we found Teemu, who’s an incredible guitar player. Kiko recommended him, and Teemu came towards the end of Kiko’s time in the band. Teemu came and joined along and watched the show and went over all the details and stuff. And so when we finally started playing with him, he was already very familiar with how we operate. And he’s been amazing. He’s an amazing guitar player, he’s a great person to be around. So it’s been really nice. And the same with James. James, of course, he has been in MEGADETH for many years before, between 2006 and 2010, so when James came back, it was very natural as well. And he’s an expert — he’s been doing this for many years playing with a lot of different people. And [he’s] a great person as well. I love James a lot.”
Considering Megadeth has been around since 1983 and Dave Mustaine is the only member who was in the band before 2006, it’s understandable that one would have to get used to some lineup changes. So if you want to see Mustaine and the current cadre of musicians he’s assembled, catch them on the “Destroy All Enemies” tour, dates below.
MEGADETH “Destroy All Enemies U.S. Tour 2024” Dates
with support from Mudvayne and All That Remains
AUG 2 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
AUG 3 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
AUG 5 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheatre
AUG 6 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
AUG 8 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
AUG 9 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater
AUG 10 – Concord, CA – Toyota Pavilion at Concord
AUG 12 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre
AUG 13 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater
AUG 15 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater
AUG 16 – Las Vegas, NV – Bakkt Theatre at Planet Hollywood
AUG 17 – Salt Lake City, UT – Maverick Arena
AUG 20 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
AUG 21 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
AUG 23 – Macon, GA – Atrium Health Macon Amphitheater
AUG 24 – West Palm Beach, FL – IThink Financial Amphitheatre
SEP 3 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
SEP 5 – Huntington, WV – Marshall Health Network Arena
SEP 6 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
SEP 7 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
SEP 9 – Reading, PA – Santander Arena
SEP 10 – Albany, NY – MVP Arena
SEP 11 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank
SEP 13 – Bethel, MY – Bethel Woods Center For The Arts
SEP 14 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
SEP 15 – Richmond, VA – Virginia Credit Union Live!
SEP 17 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
SEP 18 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
SEP 20 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
SEP 21 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
SEP 24 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory
SEP 26 – St Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre STL
SEP 27 – Southaven, MS – Bankplus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove
SEP 28 – Nashville, TN – Nashville Municipal Auditorium
