Megadeth’s James LoMenzo expresses regret that David Ellefson won’t be part of final shows

After a sex scandal became viral online, Ellefson was replaced with James LoMenzo, the bassist for Megadeth, as per MetalSucks. According to Ultimate Guitar’s transcription of a recent interview with Stairway to Rock, LoMenzo expressed his “sorry” that his predecessor was not involved in the band’s lengthy farewell or in any way.

I’m sorry [Ellefson]’s not here right now. But you know, as they say, the show must go on. As things worked out, I was only supposed to be here to fill in for a while. And as we went out on that first tour [after] I rejoined, the vibe was so great that I couldn’t resist coming back. And Dave [Mustaine] was gracious enough to have me back.

Additionally, LoMenzo recounted a time when he first met Ellefson, who he replaced from 2006 to 2010. LoMenzo claimed that he had a good encounter with Ellefson at the time.

Yes, actually, I had a great time. Many years ago, we sat down…. I’d always wanted to meet [Ellefson] at the time I was in the band. We had just done United Abominations [2007]. I’m such a big fan, and I’ve learned to play all his bass lines, so that made me a bigger fan, right?

So, yeah, I sat down and had coffee with him a while back, and I remember he was very gracious. And I told him, at the time, ‘The Megadeth fans, they always love you. You’re part of the original band.’ And I even told him, ‘You should go on the forums and just say hello, stick your head in there.’ So, fortunately, when the time came and they were going to do the ‘Big Four’ [2010 event that saw Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax join forces] again, when Dave and Dave had reconciled, I thought that was great.

Upcoming shows:

• February 28 – London, ON – Canada Life Place
• March 01 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
• March 03 – Halifax, NS – Scotiabank Centre
• March 04 – Moncton, NB – Avenir Centre
• March 06 – Québec, QC – Videotron Centre
• April 23 – Lima, PER – Costa 21 
• April 25 – Bogota, COL – Movistar Arena 
• April 27 – Bogota, COL – Movistar Arena 
• April 30 – Buenos Aires, ARG 
• May 02 – Sao Paulo, BRA – Espaco Unimed 
• May 05 – Santiago, CHL – Movistar Arena 
• May 06 – Santiago, CHL – Movistar Arena 
• May 08 – Monterrey, MEX – Arena Monterrey 
• May 10 – Mexico City, MEX – Arena Ciudad de Mexico 
• May 13 – Guadalajara, MEX – Arena Guadalajara
• June 07 – Gelsenkirchen, Germany 
• June 10 – Hradec Kralove, CZE – Rock For People 
• June 11 – Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg 
• June 14 – Ferrara, ITA – Ferrara Summer Festival 
• June 15 – Zurich, Switzerland June 16 – Vienna, Austria 
• June 23 – Istanbul, Türkiye 
• June 26 – Helsinki, FIN – Tuska Open Air Metal Festival 
• June 28 – Almaty, Kazakhstan
• August 29 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena (With Iron Maiden)
• August 30 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena (With Iron Maiden)
• September 03 – Montréal, QC – Parc Jean-Drapeau (with Anthrax) (With Iron Maiden)
• September 05 – Harrison, NJ – Sports Illustrated Stadium (with Anthrax) (With Iron Maiden)
• September 09 – Boston, MA – TD Garden (With Iron Maiden)
• September 11 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live (With Iron Maiden)
• September 12 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion (With Iron Maiden)
• September 15 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium (With Iron Maiden)
• September 19 – Shakopee, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater (With Iron Maiden)
• September 22 – Chicago, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre (With Iron Maiden)
• September 25 – Los Angeles, CA – BMO Stadium (with Anthrax) (With Iron Maiden)
• September 26 – Los Angeles, CA – BMO Stadium (with Anthrax) (With Iron Maiden)
• September 29 – San Antonio, TX – Alamodome (with Anthrax) (With Iron Maiden)