Former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted and his band, THE CHOPHOUSE BAND, played the third show of their first-ever North American headlining tour on Friday night, July 3, at Mickey's Black Box in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Fan-recorded footage of the full concert has since circulated online.
The run marks a shift for a project that has spent more than three decades operating mostly out of the spotlight. THE CHOPHOUSE BAND traces back to 1992, when Newsted founded Chophouse Records Studio in San Francisco and began gathering musicians for occasional charity and benefit shows supporting veterans' causes, animal rehabilitation and youth music and arts programs — typically around six such appearances a year.
For 2026, the touring lineup features Newsted on guitar and lead vocals alongside Jesse Farnsworth (guitar, vocals), Jimbo Hart (bass, vocals), Humberto Perez (guitar) and Robert John-Tucker (drums, vocals). Newsted told the Fairfax County Times he built the group around personal chemistry rather than résumés: "I hand-selected my favorite players from over the years, put together people I wanted to jam with." Asked why he was touring now, he kept the answer simple: "First and foremost, I'm doing it for the fun ... I'm looking forward most to reconnecting with people."
Musically, the band leans into what Newsted calls outsider Americana, pulling from bluegrass, folk, soul, rock and heavy metal in equal measure. "There could be country flavor to a song, but it'll still have sharp teeth," he said, describing the band's sound.
The 18-date tour continues with headlining stops in cities including Albany, Alexandria, Grand Rapids and Knoxville, plus ten shows opening for BLACKBERRY SMOKE throughout July. The route cuts through the South, Midwest and East Coast before wrapping with back-to-back nights at Nashville's storied Ryman Auditorium on July 24 and 25.
Newsted departed METALLICA in 2001 after eleven years as the band's bassist, but remained tied to its legacy: he was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2009 alongside Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and his successor, Robert Trujillo.