Grammy Award Winning Megadeth bassist David Ellefson has announced a European solo tour, featuring a full band playing songs from his recent solo release Sleeping Giants, and other metal classics. Featuring vocals by his More Life With Deth co-author Thom Hazaert, plus guitarist Andy Martongelli, who toured with Ellefson and Frank Bello’s Altitudes and Attitude, and appears on the Sleeping Giants, track Hammer (Comes Down) (featuring vocals by Hazaert and Eric AK (Flotsam and Jetsam) with Chris Poland, Mark Tremonti, Dave McClain (Sacred Reich, Ex-Machine Head), Joey Radziwill (Sacred Reich), and more).
The tour begins November 3rd in Wolverhampton with a live one-off show at K.K.’s Steel Mill featuring a full band set from Ellefson’s Sleeping Giants band, followed by a full-length set of Priest Classics with legendary former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing, former Judas Priest drummer Les Binks, and former Judas Priest vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens.
Former Iron Maiden vocalist, Blaze Bayley will be the evening’s opening support act.
Additionally, the Steel Mill will also host a special pre-show VIP event whereby attendees will be treated to a MORE LIFE WITH DETH book signing event and one on one Q&A session with Ellefson, Downing & Hazaert, moderated by Mark Eglinton who co-authored K.K. Downing’s recent memoir Heavy Duty Days and Nights in Judas Priest.
Says Downing, “I am very pleased to have been asked to perform a unique and special concert with Megadeth’s David Ellefson to celebrate the release of his new book More Life With Deth. The concert will also bring about the opportunity to play again with some very dear and talented metal legends from the past, the combination of these Icons will for sure enable us to deliver up one of the most exciting concerts this year, so much so that it would not be out of place to call this the ultimate ass kicking “MegaPriest” fest, and is one that is not to be missed.”
Adds Ellefson, “I speak very candidly in my new book More Life with Deth about the significance Judas Priest played in my early musical trajectory, specifically the Unleashed in the East live album along with its powerful cover image, captured the excitement I felt for a new era of music, one that would transition me from my roots in American Hard Rock over to that of British Heavy Metal. Over the years K.K and I became fast friends while we toured together with Priest & Megadeth, and I’m beyond thrilled to perform together onstage with him and his former Priest band mates, as we light up the Steel Mill together for a night of molten metal classics.”
He continues, “Thom (Hazaert) and I have been touring all summer across the USA supporting the newbook and our Sleeping Giants release. Plus, “Ripper” and I have shared stages all around the world in the last decade or so, and now to add Les Binks in the mix, who to my generation was the ultimate metal double bass drummer, this has become the ultimate ‘metal’ family reunion.”
LIVE WITH DETH European dates:
11/3 – Wolverhampton, ENG – KK’s Steel Mill
(featuring K.K. Downing, Les Binks and Tim “Ripper” Owens)
11/4 – London, ENG – Camden Underworld 11/08 – Bellinzona, CH – Pit
11/9 – Collegno, ITA – Padiglione 14
11/10 – Milano, ITA – Legend Club 11/12 – Bologna, ITA – Alchemica 11/13 – Tuoro Sul Trasimeno, ITA – Supernova 11/14 – Roma, ITA – Let It Beer
Ellefson published his new memoir More Life With Deth in July through Jawbone Press, which was an Amazon #1 bestseller, along with a companion solo release Sleeping Giants, which features collaborations with Hazaert, DMC, John Bush, Mark Tremonti, Chris Poland, Bumblefoot, Dave McClain(Sacred Reich, Ex-Machine Head), Joey Radziwill (Sacred Reich), Eric Ak and Steve Conley (Flotsam and Jetsam), David Glen Eisley, and more, and which debuted on 13 US Billboard Charts on release.
Ellefson will follow the European tour with his first ever solo Basstory clinic tour of SouthAmerica later in November & December:
11/19 – Ciudad Obregon, Mexico – Desert Bar 11/20 – Mexico City, Mexico – Teatro Ofelia
11/22 – Bogota, Colombia – Ace of Spades
11/23 – Quito, Ecuador – La Ideal
11/25 – Lima, Peru – Teatro Federico Garcia Lorca 11/26 – Santiago, Chile – Rock & Guitarras
11/28 – Asuncion, Paraguay – Centro Paraguayo Japonés 11/30 – Sao Paulo, Brazil – Manifesto
12/1 – Manaus, Brazil – Teatro Manauara
Ellefson will follow the European tour with his first ever solo BASSTORY clinic tour of South
5 Responses
Although I am OK with the two Ripper albums, “Judas Priest Legends” made me laugh.
What some people fail to recognize, not you, is that I don’t write most of the copy. They are written by the PR firms, sent to Eddie, sent to me, to format, edit, copy and paste, etc.
I was accused by one poster of reporting fake news, because he erroneously believed that I exaggerate, and embellish, about most of the bands, songs, etc., that are reported on, in this section. Obviously, he was too foolish to realize, I am only editing these articles, not writing them.
If I am the writer of any copy, whether it be an entire story, or merely and editor’s note, I always indicate that it is being written by me.
in the post and ad, only kk is deemed a legend. les and ripper are “former”.
I can definitely get behind this! Man, Binks’s drumming was solid on those albums. I sure hope a good recording is made, not just off someone’s cell phone.
Kk should be back in priest period end of story – the band needs to pull their heads out of their asses and call him –