Ex-Megadeth bassist David Ellefson celebrated his birthday by seeing Metallica

Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson celebrated his 59th birthday on November 12 by seeing a Metallica show in Detroit.

Ellefson was part of Megadeth from its founding in 1983 until 2002, then again from 2010 to 2021. His longtime bandmate, Dave Mustaine, started the band after being dismissed from Metallica earlier in 1983.

Ellefson posted about his evening at the Metallica show on Instagram yesterday (November 13).

“A heartfelt thanks to my dear friend Lars Ulrich & the [Metallica] camp for giving me the wonderful birthday celebration of All Access passes in Detroit,” the bassist wrote.

“What a great way to celebrate my birthday with great songs and longtime friends!

“And a huge thanks to everyone for their kind birthday wishes to me as well. Thanks for celebrating another trip around the sun!”

Included in the post was a photo of Ellefson with Ulrich, Metallica’s drummer.

Ellefson was most recently dismissed from Megadeth following a sex scandal in May 2021, when explicit video footage of the bassist was posted online. Ellefson admitted to taking part in “private, adult interactions” with a woman online in an Instagram post, but denied rumours of grooming and the woman being underage.

Ellefson also claimed the interactions were “taken out of context and manipulated to inflict maximum damage to my reputation, my career and family”.

The woman involved later wrote on Instagram: “Yes, those video calls did happen, but I was the one to initiate it and never was I underage, I was always a consenting adult. Nothing inappropriate ever happened before that. It was all consensual, I’m not a victim and I have not been groomed in the slightest as I was the one to initiate it.”

Fans are now commenting on the perceived irony of a recently dismissed Megadeth member attending a Metallica concert.

“This is like when your wife divorces you and you post pics with your new gf,” one Instagram user writes.

Another adds: “Dave Mustaine [is] in tears right now.”

Metallica are currently touring to promote their 2023 album, 72 Seasons. The band will next perform in mainland Europe, from May to July 2024.