Earlier this year, Megadeth announced their decision to retire, confirming that their upcoming album and tour will be their last. During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk,” frontman Dave Mustaine explained why he decided that it’s time to call it quits.
“It had been a long time coming — just physical stuff that was going on with my hands… My hands were letting me down,” Mustaine said. “And there were other things that were difficult because of all the stuff going on in my neck and my trunk. All that area there has arthritis and it has discs that are bulging. I’ve got a broken lumbar bone. Of course, you know I have my back fused, up by my shoulders, by my neck. And just a lot of stuff.”
“I always said when it got to the point where I was unable to give a hundred percent every night, that’s when I was gonna start considering winding down,” he continued. “And it wasn’t that I was unable to give a hundred percent, because we finished the record, and I think we did a good job on it, but there was a period when we were working and I said to my manager, I said, ‘I don’t know how much longer I can do this. My hands are really hurting.’ And I didn’t mean to set the ball rolling.
“Honestly, I just was making conversation, and it turned into me talking to the band guys and sleeping on it and talking to my family and praying on it. And the answer was clear to me. […] We’ve got some dates that we wanna play to say goodbye to our friends. […] We’ve got a lot of touring to do in order to do our farewell properly.”
When it was noted by host Eddie Trunk that a lot of bands don’t know when to call it quits and continue to tour well past their prime, Mustaine agreed, reiterating that he sees no reason to keep going if they can’t give one hundred percent.
“I mean, unless you’re financially in a bad way and you need to keep playing, which, by the grace of God, I’ve been successful. I’ve been able to pay all my bills. All the band guys, they all get their paychecks on time. We do everything right by the book. So, some people, like I said, they may have to keep playing, because there’s nothing else for them to do,” he explained.
“Now, when I think about, what am I gonna do after I hang the guitar up, that’s in relation to touring, and I believe that I’m going to keep doing music in some way, shape or form. But not in the fashion that I was doing with Megs because if I can’t do it and I need to stop playing with my first love, I’m not gonna go out and try and do it again with someone else.”
