Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson has announced the December leg of his "Bass Warrior" European tour, and the draw is a complete performance of "Countdown To Extinction" — the 1992 album that took MEGADETH to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and multi-platinum certification.
The sets pair the album with other MEGADETH material from Ellefson's nineteen years in the band, selections from his solo catalogue, and the metal and hard rock records that shaped him across a forty-year career.
The idea came from demand, he says. "We had such great fan request for 'Countdown To Extinction' from earlier this year that we are going to wrap 2026 with some final shows across Europe which also includes some new cities and countries to celebrate the music from one of my all-time favorite albums of my discography," Ellefson said. "The perfect holiday wrap up for the year!"
He launched "Bass Warrior" in 2024 with musical director Andy Martongelli (ELLEFSON-SOTO, ARTEMIS) as a way to play his back catalogue for European audiences directly.
The December dates: Kill Joy, Rome (December 3); Rock N Roll, Rho, Italy (4); Del Vino, Orchamps-Vennes, France (5); Music on the Hague, Den Haag (7); Metropool, Enschede (8); Iduna, Drachten (9); Burghof Hühnerstall, Frankfurt (10); Stary Dom, Domecko, Poland (12); The Barrel Venue, Drogheda, Ireland (13); JS Retro, Nitra, Slovakia (15); Fest Club, Belgrade (18); and Hard Place, Zagreb (19).
Ellefson co-founded MEGADETH with Dave Mustaine in 1983 and stayed until 2002, when the band briefly dissolved after Mustaine suffered the nerve damage that left him unable to play. When Mustaine reassembled MEGADETH for 2004's "The System Has Failed," Ellefson was not part of it — he sued Mustaine that year for $18.5 million over unpaid merchandise and publishing royalties, and the case was dismissed in 2005. He rejoined in 2010, as a salaried employee rather than a partner, a distinction he has since discussed openly.
"Going from being a co-founding owner to just a sideman musician was initially why I didn't come back in 2004," he told Metal-Rules.com. "I was not happy with the participations that were presented to me... In order to have a friendship, I had to give up some ownership." He now plays bass in METAL CHURCH.
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