Dave Mustaine wants Megadeth’s last show to be in space: “I think that will be a really fitting climax!”
With Megadeth’s final record set to drop next year, fans are expecting the band to go out with a bang – but they might be taking things a step further. In a new interview, Dave Mustaine has revealed that the ideal finale would see the band blasting off into the stratosphere.
Considering the band’s 40-year career has defined the face of thrash metal – and indeed the wider metal world – Mustaine’s ambitious plot would be one last push, taking the genre to bold new heights, literally. “I hope we’ll be playing up in space,” he tells Metal Hammer. “I think that will be a really fitting climax.”
Specifically, Mustaine has his sights set on a very particular stage – the face of the Moon. “I’m not talking about on the side of a vomit comet!” he insists. “A gig on the Moon, a full Moon landing. That would be cool.”
READ MORE: Megadeth – Ride the Lightning CONFIRMED: “I wanted to pay my respects to where my career first started,” says Dave Mustaine
Of course, Mustaine joins a long list of artists hoping to pull off the first ever performance in space. Back in 2017, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich told SiriusXM Radio that the band wanted to be the first band to pull off a zero-gravity metal gig. If Metallica were to get up there, it would be another achievement to add to their belt; in 2013, they set a world record after performing in all seven continents within one year, including Antarctica.
Muse have also voiced similar dreams of an intergalactic performance. Rather unsurprisingly, frontman Matt Bellamy was very keen on the idea in 2011: “We’ve had some discussions about playing in space,” he told The Sun [via NME]. “I’m thinking of approaching Richard Branson to see if we could do it on his spacecraft.”
“I do think it will be possible in the future and I’m sure it will happen in my lifetime,” the Muse singer concluded. “We’d love to be part of that.”
While Matt Bellamy’s words are well over a decade old, we’re only just entering an era where space gigs might actually be within our grasp. Back in September, Ed Sheeran told BBC Radio 2 that he could have been the first artist to ever perform in space. However, he turned the opportunity down.
“I was offered to go to space a while ago… and it terrified me,” he explained [via The Independent]. “I want to go to space when it’s like flying to France and 40,000 people have done it – I don’t want to be a guinea pig. It’s still dangerous.”
“It was talk about doing the first gig in space… [but] I’ve got kids!,” he said. “I’m not going to risk that for a Guinness World Record.”
Megadeth, however, aren’t as worried about the risks. With celebrities like popstar Katy Perry jetting up to space, Mustaine is pretty sure it would be safe. “I saw they sent up a bunch of celebrities into space and I thought ‘Well, if them, why not me?’, you know?” he tells Metal Hammer.
Though, rest assured – Megadeth would eventually want to return to Earth after their grand performance. In the words of Sesame Street’s Ernie, Mustaine doesn’t want to live on the Moon. “Personally, I’d never want to live on a planet away from the world we live in,” he says. “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!”
Set to drop in January, Megadeth’s 17th record will be their last. The album is set to feature a cover of Metallica‘s Ride the Lightning – which Mustaine co-wrote alongside James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Cliff Burton in the ’80s. As for what other Easter eggs it may hold, only time will tell.
The album release will also be accompanied with a huge worldwide farewell tour – though there’s no confirmation of any out-of-this-world tour stops just yet.
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The band’s retirement was announced by their usually voiceless mascot, Vic Rattlehead. “For over four decades, I’ve been chained in silence, but the end demands my voice,” he explained. “It is confirmed, the next Megadeth studio album will be the last 40 years of metal, forged in steel, ending in fire, and when the New Year rises, the global farewell tour.”
“You’ve heard the warning, now prepare yourself, cyber arm,” he added. “Stay loud, stay tuned and meet me on the front lines.”
In a statement, Mustaine told fans “don’t be mad, don’t be sad, be happy for us all”. He welcomed fans to “celebrate” what the band has achieved over the years. “We started a musical style, we started a revolution, we changed the guitar world and how it’s played, and we changed the world,” he said.
“The bands I played in have influenced the world. I love you all for it. Thank you for everything.”
Megadeth’s self-titled final album will be released on 23 January 2026. For more information, head over to the band’s official website.
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