Black Sabbath, Slayer, and Mötley Crüe are all examples of bands that have embarked on “farewell tours” only to reunite and continue their careers. While this has pissed off quite a few fans, it’s clearly cool with former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson.
In an interview with Ultimate Guitar, Ellefson cited Slayer‘s reunion as “inevitable” and noted that farewell shows are “just a temporary goodbye.”
“It’s inevitable,” said Ellefson. “Look, I don’t know their reason for it, other than I can’t sit still. I can’t sit home and not go play. At some point, this is what you’re on the planet to do.”
“They’re my friends, so I’m happy for any successes they have. If they’re worn out and they want to quit, I’m happy for that, too. But if they’re rested up now and getting ready to go play — go play.”
“There’s all this controversy around Pantera, and as I found out with Kings of Thrash, fans still want to hear these songs. Regardless of what you call it, people still want to go hear those songs. Farewells are just a temporary goodbye.”
On one hand, I see where Ellefson is coming from – saying goodbye doesn’t always mean you’re gone forever. But it does feel a little misleading and could be a little irritating to folks who spend a ton of money coming out to the “final shows.”
Though one look at the crowds for Pantera‘s comeback shows proves that bands rising from the proverbial grave sells pretty damn well. Pantera is also a weird example considering they never went on a farewell tour, but simply broke up and then suffered some great losses… but the point Ellefson is making still stands.
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