How Throat Cancer + Blackberry Smoke Led to Jason Newsted’s Chophouse Band Tour
On Tuesday, May 5, Jason Newsted joined Loudwire Nights to discuss the evolution of the Chophouse Band. Formed in the early 1990s, the project has long been a passion for the former Metallica bassist, but it is only now that he is preparing to take the group on its first-ever official tour.
“It’s been percolating for a while,” Newsted told host Chuck Armstrong. The tour, which kicks off on July 1 in Northampton, Massachusetts, will feature a mix of headlining dates and shows supporting the Southern rock outfit Blackberry Smoke. “I’ve averaged six shows a year and I choose them very carefully and they’re always in a philanthropic nature. Six a year is enough for me to be able to do it on my terms.”
The Blackberry Smoke Connection
Two significant factors pushed Newsted to finally commit to a full-scale tour. The first was a genuine, deep-seated appreciation for the members of Blackberry Smoke. Newsted noted that he was “enlightened” and given hope by their demeanor and their “welcoming, embracing Southern gentleman nature.”
The tour materialized after Newsted joined the band onstage in Ithaca, New York, in November 2025 for a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Children of the Grave.” Following that performance, Newsted approached frontman Charlie Starr with a bold idea. “I go, ‘You know, you need to let Chophouse Band open for you,’ and he goes, ‘That’s not a thing,’ and I go, ‘No, I really would like to do that.’ A couple of weeks later, we’re in. It was a face-to-face, brother-to-brother proposition. I manifested it, bro.”
Facing Mortality and Finding New Purpose
The second, more harrowing factor behind the tour was a deeply personal health crisis. “About one year ago, I had a procedure for throat cancer,” Newsted revealed. “They cut a bunch of stuff out of here and then went inside with this new laser procedure. The cavern inside my head is different than it was before. My singing voice is different for the stuff I’m singing now. It leans more toward that Tom Petty vibe and I’m kind of really digging it.”
Newsted admitted that the experience brought him closer to death than he had ever been, even during his high-intensity years with Metallica. “The way I feel the most alive is to be making music as loudly as possible, screaming my head off. I don’t care who’s watching… I need to feel the most alive that I can.”
Reflecting on his recovery and the support he received from peers like Bruce Dickinson and Dave Mustaine, Newsted emphasized that the scare served as a wake-up call. “When you’re up against it like this, you really look at it in a different way. My arrogant, spoiled ass—the ‘great spirit’ got my attention. It said, ‘Look bro, you’re getting put in check.’ I don’t plan on anything taking me down ever again. It really does wake you up in a way that nothing else could.”
With a renewed perspective and a band featuring Jesse Farnsworth, Jimbo Hart, Humberto Perez, and Robert John-Tucker, Newsted is ready to hit the road. As he put it, the planets have finally aligned.