Jason Newsted Hits the Road with The Chophouse Band’s First Headlining Tour

Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted has announced he will be taking his group The Chophouse Band out for its first headlining tour. The trek will run for most of July, during which time they’ll also serve as support for Blackberry Smoke.

Things begin on July 1st at Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, Massachusetts before heading down the East Coast. Newsted’s shows with Blackberry Smoke will hit larger venues, including Nashville’s hallowed Ryman Auditorium, which will wrap up the tour on July 25th.

“We’ll be performing TCB originals and selections from a few of our heroes,” Newsted shared. “Even at places like the Ryman, we will play some acoustic-based tunes, but throughout the set it is guaranteed to get heavy!”

Although known for his tenure on bass in metal’s biggest band, Newsted primarily plays guitar and sings in The Chophouse Band. The rest of the outfit includes guitarist/vocalist Jesse Farnsworth, guitarist Humberto Perez, drummer Robert John-Tucker, and bassist Jimbo Hart.

Raised in Muscle Shoals, Hart is a seasoned player and producer who grew up in the area’s fertile music scene. He was a longtime member of Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, with whom he won two Grammys, and has since been active in session work.

“I’m so excited to be backing my homie and childhood bass hero!” Hart tells No Treble.

In a 2020 interview, Hart told No Treble how he first connected with Newsted at a New Year’s Eve show with John Prine, after which they became friends. Newsted also gifted him a black Sadowsky Will Lee bass.

“So he just showed up to this gig in Oakland and long story short pulled this case out from behind our wardrobe case. He said, ‘I’ve seen four or five of your shows and I can’t sit still, so I always have to go listen all over the room. Everything sounds amazing, but the kick drum is always tuned really low. It sounds awesome, but because of that you lose string definition in the first position. This will fix it.’ I said, ‘Are you serious?’ He said, ‘Yeah, rock and roll!’ because he’s still like that.”

Reflecting upon his upcoming tour, Newsted says it’s a natural progression of his musical legacy.

“I’ve realized that this is where I can place my energy effectively now,” he said. “The Chophouse is the continuation of my ambassadorship of American music. TCB plays everything from bluegrass to [expletive] slabs of metal. We’re covering a lot of ground; There could be country flavor to a song, but it’ll still have sharp teeth.”

Jason Newsted & The Chophouse Band 2026 Tour Dates: