Megadeth will make their live debut tonight (May 10th) in Hong Kong. Frontman Dave Mustaine spoke with the South China Morning Post about the band's history and touring. Following is an excerpt from the story.

In 2014 Mustaine had to have surgery to remove a piece of bone next to his spinal cord. “The hardest thing was not headbanging – I just do it without thinking,” he says. “You don’t know what it’s like to be in my body. There are some days when my left hand can’t even play. I don’t practise – I save it all for the tour.”

Recent years have been kinder to the band. For a start, this year they were finally awarded their first Grammy after decades of waiting, which Mustaine has said “was like taking off a pair of really tight-fitting shoes”.

The experience was only slightly marred by the house band’s decision to accompany them to the stage with a mangled version of Metallica’s Master of Puppets. “It was funny when people said they sabotaged it,” Mustaine says. “We were too busy collecting our award – I didn’t care.”

And then there’s the 2016 album Dystopia, a thunderous return to form that has arguably received the band’s best reviews since the ’90s – in contrast to the more radio-friendly previous album Super Collider (2013).

“Super Collider was like a kind of slow-burn dirge for me. Both of my parents-in-law were dying, and had Alzheimer’s and dementia – they looked normal, but their brains were betraying them,” Mustaine says. “There was a sadness in the house – the walls were crying. And I always play what I feel. But with Dystopia, I am a lot more content.”

Go to this location for the complete story.

Megadeth recently announced the details for the 2017 leg of their North American Tour, which kicks off on June 23rd in Big Flats, NY. This headlining tour will take them across the US as well as Canada.

To get tickets for the North American Tour, check megadeth.com for specific market info, local on-sale times and dates, and information on special VIP packages.

Joining Megadeth on their North American Tour will be special guests Meshuggah, TesseracT and Lillake. Currently scheduled dates are listed below, with more to be announced shortly.

June
23 - Big Flats, NY - Budweiser Summerstage
24 - Montebello, QC - Amnesia Rockfest *
25 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
27 - Philadelphia, PA - Fillmore
28 - Portsmouth, VA - Portsmouth Pavilion
29 - Silver Springs, MD - The Fillmore
30 - Columbus, OH - Express Live

July
5 - Windsor, ON - Caesars **
7 - St. Charles, MO - Family Arena
8 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre
9 - Houston, TX - Revention Music Center
11 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
13 - Oshkosh, WI - Rock USA *
14 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Open Air *
15 - Cadott, WI - Rock Fest*

* Festival Dates
** Megadeth and Meshuggah only

Megadeth will then join Scorpions, one of the most iconic and influential hard rock bands of all time, as special guests on their Crazy World tour. The tour kicks off on September 14th with a month-long run of dates including stops in New York, Dallas, Toronto, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles, amongst others, with more dates coming.

September
14 - Reading, PA - Santander Arena
16 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
22 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage
25 - Denver, CO - 1st Bank Center
26 - Salt Lake City, UT - Venue TBA
29 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
30 - Seattle, WA - Tacoma Dome

October
3 - Reno, NV - Grand Sierra Resort
4 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
7 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
8 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Arena
11 - San Antonio, TX - Freeman Coliseum
12 - Dallas, TX - Pavilion at the Music Factory
14 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - BB&T Center
15 - Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena