Jason Newsted Celebrates 'Free and Clear' Cancer Update, Reveals New 'Clear-Headed' Lifestyle

Last year, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted "underwent a procedure for throat cancer," and in a forthcoming episode of Dean Delray’s Let There Be Talk podcast [via Blabbermouth], Newsted celebrated his “free and clear” cancer update while revealing what constitutes his new “clear-headed” lifestyle.

Details of Newsted’s Cancer Diagnosis + ‘Clear-Headed’ Lifestyle

In initially covering the news, Blabbermouth clarified that Delray gave them an advanced video clip of the upcoming interview (so it’s unclear when Newsted’s full episode will be published).

"So, let's see — in one week, it's gonna be a year. . . . May 8th of 2025, I underwent a procedure for throat cancer,” Newsted began [transcribed by Blabbermouth]. “And so they took a bunch of shit outta here and then they went in with lasers this way and took a bunch of shit out. So the cavern inside my head is different than it was, but we got it early. And I got my 'free and clear' about three weeks ago. So I beat it."

Newsted then explained the vow he made to himself in relation to the situation: “I promised myself I was going to rest, and that was the first time I've done that in my life.”

He added [via Blabbermouth]:

I'm usually just on or off. And so I promised myself I was gonna take the gravity off and lay down for the right amount of hours. And there's no way, with my arrogant, spoiled ass that I would've stopped smoking weed, that I would've stopped drinking, that I would've stopped doing all the things. But the great spirit got my attention and said, 'That's not good right now, man.' And so it pulled me off it. And so now I'm more clear-headed than I've been in my entire adult life. And so there's blessings within everything. The lemonade I'm making this summer, bro — mm. Sweet. Ooh.

Other Jason Newsted News

As Loudwire reported in late April, Jason Newsted and the Chophouse Band – who’re completed by Robert John-Tucker (drums/vocals), Jesse Farnsworth (guitar/vocals), Humberto Perez (guitar) and Jimbo Hart (bass/vocals) – will be heading out on “their first-ever U.S. headlining tour this summer.”

Their shows will span almost the entire month of July (starting on July 1 in Northampton, Massachusetts and concluding on July 25 in Nashville, Tennessee). Plus, they’ll be offsetting their handful of headlining shows with nearly a dozen supporting performances alongside country-rock group Blackberry Smoke.

“We're fired up to finally take this to the people, and it's an honor to head out on the road with the Blackberry crew for our first proper run,” Newsted remarked in a statement.

He continued:

Blackberry Smoke has built a loyal following that knows and enjoys good music. We'll be performing TCB originals and selections from a few of our heroes. Even at places like the Ryman, we will play some acoustic-based tunes, but throughout the set it is guaranteed to get heavy!
I've realized that this is where I can place my energy effectively now. The Chophouse is the continuation of my ambassadorship of American music. TCB plays everything from bluegrass to fucking 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. We are looking forward to an exciting summer!

You can see the full list of dates below and grab tickets here.

Jason Newsted and the Chophouse Band Summer 2026 Tour Dates

July 1 - Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
July 2 - Albany, NY @ Empire Underground
July 3 - Lititz, PA @ Mickey’s Black Box
July 5 - Wayne, PA @ 118 North
July 6 - Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere
July 9 - Wilmington, NC @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater*
July 10 - Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center*
July 11 - Charlotte, NC @ Ovens Auditorium*
July 12 - Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall*
July 15 - Lewiston, NY @ Artpark*
July 16 - Utica, NY @ Saranac Brewery*
July 17 - Farmington, PA @ Timber Rock Amphitheater*
July 18 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall*
July 20 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
July 21 - Newport, KY @ Southgate House Revival
July 22 - Knoxville, TN @ Open Chord
July 24 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium*
July 25 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium*