JASON NEWSTED, the former METALLICA bassist who served with the Bay Area thrash legends from 1986 to 2001, has announced the first-ever North American headlining tour with his current outfit, THE CHOPHOUSE BAND. The 18-date run launches on July 1, 2026 in Northampton, Massachusetts and wraps on July 25 with a coveted two-night stand at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.
The tour blends eight headlining shows with ten dates supporting Blackberry Smoke across the United States. Tickets go on sale April 24, 2026 at 10 a.m. local time.
Newsted is fired up about finally bringing his band to American audiences: "We're fired up to finally take this to the people, and it's an honour to head out on the road with the BLACKBERRY crew." He describes THE CHOPHOUSE BAND's musical range with characteristic directness: "THE CHOPHOUSE BAND plays everything from bluegrass to f***ing slabs of metal."
THE CHOPHOUSE BAND features Newsted on guitar and lead vocals alongside Jesse Farnsworth (guitar/vocals), Jimbo Hart (bass/vocals), Humberto Perez (guitar), and Robert John-Tucker (drums/vocals). For Newsted, the project is the continuation of what he calls his "ambassadorship of American music" — a body of work that honours roots music while never abandoning the bone-crushing heaviness that made him one of the most iconic bassists in heavy metal history.
After more than two decades since his departure from METALLICA, JASON NEWSTED is still making heavy music on his own terms.