Megadeth confirm last UK and European tour alongside Black Label Society and Testament

Megadeth have revealed details of their final UK and European tour, describing the upcoming shows as a “true celebration of metal”.

The thrash metal legends confirmed today, Monday, August 3, that their worldwide farewell trek will visit the UK and Europe as part of a journey spanning several years. Black Label Society and Testament will accompany them throughout the run.

Named ‘Breakout: Hibernation Of The Nations’, the tour will begin in Belfast on March 9 next year. The 24 arena dates will travel through the United Kingdom and mainland Europe before concluding in Lisbon, Portugal, on April 13.

Instead of limiting their goodbye to one stretch of concerts, Megadeth have planned a worldwide celebration across several years and continents, allowing audiences in different countries to see the band perform one final time.

“This isn’t about saying goodbye,” frontman Dave Mustaine said. “It’s about celebrating everything we’ve built together over the last four decades. Every city has its own story, every crowd has given us unforgettable memories, and we want to come back to celebrate that with the fans who made it all possible.”

“When we started talking about this tour, we wanted it to be a true celebration of metal,” he added. “Black Label Society and Testament are bands we have tremendous respect for, and having them join us makes these shows even more special. This line-up represents decades of heavy music, and it’s going to be an incredible night for the fans.”

A Live Nation presale for UK audiences will open at 9am on Thursday, August 6. Tickets will then become available through the general sale at 10am on Friday, August 7. Tickets can be found here, while the complete schedule appears below.

Megadeth’s 2027 European tour dates are:

March:
9 – Belfast The O2, UK
11 – London OVO Arena Wembley, UK
12 – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena, UK
13 – Manchester Co-op Live, UK
15 – Cardiff Utilita Arena, UK
16 – Glasgow OVO Hydro, UK
16 – Birmingham BP Pulse Live, UK
19 – Leeds First Direct Bank Arena, UK
21 – Paris Zenith, France
23 – Brussels Forest National, Belgium
25 – Dusseldorf Mitsubishi Electric Halle, Germany
27 – Copenhagen KB Hallen, Denmark
28 – Oslo Spektrum, Norway
30 – Hamburg Sporthalle, Germany

April:
1 – Berlin Velodrom, Germany
2 – Krakow Tauron Arena, Poland
4 – Munich Zenith, Germany
5 – Bern Festhalle, Switzerland
6 – Milan Unipol Forum, Italy
8 – Lyon Halle Tony Garnier, France
10 – Barcelona Olimpic Arena, Spain
12 – madrid Movistar Arena, Spain
13 – Lisbon Sagres Camp Pequeno, Portugal

The announcement comes after Megadeth issued their seventeenth and last studio record earlier this year. The eponymous album was introduced through the singles ‘Tipping Point’, ‘I Don’t Care’ and ‘Let There Be Shred’. NME awarded it three stars and wrote that it “feels like a gratifying, full-circle moment for Megadeth – one last look back before bringing an integral chapter of metal history to a close”.

In January, NME spoke with Mustaine before the album arrived. During the conversation, the metal veteran discussed ending the group after being “on defence almost all my career” and shared his expectations for the next generation of metal.

The influential thrash group revealed last year that they intended to bring their career to an end by releasing their concluding album in 2026 and embarking on one last tour. Mustaine has since confirmed that former members will not participate in the farewell concerts.

Explaining the decision further, he told NME: “If we were to look at doing that, then you’ve got some members that are deceased. You’ve got some members that I’m friends with, but they can’t play anymore like Chuck [Behler, drummer from 1987-1989]. And then you’ve got a couple guys that are saying very bad things about me in the press. So why would I want to play with those guys?

“We did this before with Marty [Friedman], and I’m sure that if the opportunity presented itself and the timing was right, I would reconsider having one of the guys from the band’s alumni play with us.

“But if it was something that didn’t end very well, why would I? There’s not a valid reason to do something like that, especially when we have limited time on stage anyway.”

Mustaine also considered the rise of thrash metal during the 1980s and what may lie ahead for the style. “I said to the band that I think there’s going to be a renaissance when this record comes out because it’s going to smack a lot of people upside of their earholes,” he said. “I think people are going to say ‘I forgot what I loved about this kind of music’, and then we’re gonna see a lot of people coming back with [a fresh take].

“So far that’s what I’ve been hearing a lot [with this album]. Not everybody, but a lot of people have been saying to me that they hadn’t listened to us for a little while but they really like the new album. Man, I’m so happy to hear this stuff from journos and radio personalities because I’ve been on defence almost all my career.”