Venue Downgraded for an Iconic Finale: Why Brazilian Metal Legends SEPULTURA Are Relocating Their Final São Paulo Concert

SEPULTURA Move Final Show to a Smaller Venue: New Details Emerge on the Heavy Metal Giants' Farewell!

Live Nation Brazil has officially announced that SEPULTURA’s final concert on November 7, 2026, in São Paulo, Brazil, has been moved from the Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu stadium—which holds a capacity of around 26,000—to the Suhai Music Hall, with a capacity of just over 9,000. Tickets previously purchased for the Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu show will remain completely valid for the Suhai Music Hall concert. Fans unable to attend the show at the new venue may request a formal refund.

The original location chosen for SEPULTURA’s final bow carried deep emotional significance. The venue, formerly known simply as the Pacaembu, reopened on January 25, 2025—coinciding with the anniversary of São Paulo—rebranded as the Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu, featuring a reduced capacity of 26,000 and the demolition of the iconic "Tobogã" bleacher section. The massive renovation aimed to modernize the complex, integrate a hotel, and increase its versatility for non-sporting events. This particular location has been intertwined with SEPULTURA’s history since the early 1990s, largely due to a legendary open-air concert held at Praça Charles Miller right outside the stadium, which helped cement the band's dominant standing in Brazil.

More than just a standard farewell gig, the evening is envisioned as a grand celebration of SEPULTURA’s 40-year legacy, bringing together multiple generations, eras, and guest artists who have crossed paths with the band over the decades. The primary goal is to transform the final show into a unique moment of tribute, unity, and celebration honoring Brazilian heavy music and its massive global impact.

Confirmed international acts include METAL ALLEGIANCE, featuring some of the most respected musicians in the global metal scene: Mike Portnoy of DREAM THEATER, Alex Skolnick and Chuck Billy of TESTAMENT, Phil Demmel formerly of MACHINE HEAD, Troy Sanders of MASTODON, and bassist/founder Mark Menghi. The lineup also boasts appearances by Brazilian death metal masters KRISIUN and American thrash icons SACRED REICH. In addition, former members and musicians connected to SEPULTURA’s history are expected to join the festivities, including Jean Dolabella and Jairo Guedz, a guitarist who preceded Andreas Kisser in the band's lineup.

Formed in Belo Horizonte in 1984, SEPULTURA successfully shattered the boundaries of heavy metal, becoming the most internationally recognized Brazilian rock band of all time. Through landmark albums such as "Beneath The Remains", "Arise", "Chaos A.D.", and "Roots", the band inspired entire generations and opened doors worldwide for Brazilian heavy music. Throughout their storied career, they performed at the world's most prestigious festivals—including Rock In Rio, Lollapalooza, Wacken Open Air, Hellfest, and Download—securing a permanent, legendary place in music history.

In a recent interview with Jaimunji of Metal On Tap, Kisser was asked if he would rule out a reunion show a few years after completing the band's ongoing farewell tour. He responded in part: "Dude, I don't rule anything out. It's irrelevant to say if [the retirement is] gonna be forever or we gonna be back. The important thing is that we're gonna stop now. We need that rest, because we organize everything around that. We need our time — we need time to look in a different direction. SEPULTURA is not gonna die. I mean, MOTÖRHEAD is more alive than... Unfortunately, we don't have the touring, but MOTÖRHEAD will be together with us forever. So we're gonna explore different territories and stuff. And the future, we're gonna deal [with it] when it comes. I mean, possibilities are always open. I don't think we have the power to do eight farewell tours, but who knows? [Laughs] I mean, you see [other bands who announced farewell tours before and then came back or kept touring, like] SCORPIONS, you see Ozzy [Osbourne], you see KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE and SLAYER and stuff. It's okay to rest and to go out a little bit. It's very healthy, because it shows that art is not really connected to any stereotype of what you should be in the eyes of others."

Andreas also discussed SEPULTURA’s ongoing project to compile a live album commemorating their final run. The band has been recording 40 songs across 40 different cities for what members describe as a massive compilation of their most energetic stage moments. "Yeah, we're still making [it]," Kisser said regarding the live album. "We're still going places, recording. We have the new SEPULTURA EP that we are performing live as well, the new songs, et cetera. But this is something for next year. We'd like to stop everything we're doing here, enjoy what we doing, the shows and everything. But we are recording, every show since [drummer] Greyson [Nekrutman] joined the band [in early 2024]. And we have a lot of material. And it's gonna be an amazing project. We like to take our time as well to do something really special, like vinyl, like old-school KISS 'Alive II' type of vibe, with the photos and stuff like that. Very organic and going to the opposite direction of showing everything on the Internet."

Andreas continued: "I remember listening to live albums like MOTÖRHEAD or [IRON] MAIDEN or KISS and just imagining with the headphones being in the concert. And not even imagine to be on stage, but just there, because in Brazil we didn't have shows and concerts. I mean, imagination, it's such a powerful tool to create atmospheres and to fulfill and pursue your dreams. I was only imagining, and that stuff drove me to be where I am today. So I think we like to try to bring a little bit of that vibe back, since vinyl is back with full power. Who knew? I mean, vinyl was dead, completely, this thing of the past, and now it's back with full power in times of artificial intelligence. So that's a hope. This is something organic and human and more connected to something real."

SEPULTURA kicked off its farewell tour on March 1, 2024, at Arena Hall in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The sold-out show marked the debut performance of Nekrutman, who previously played with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES. The band had announced previous drummer Eloy Casagrande's departure on February 27, 2024, explaining that he left to join "another project"—with Casagrande later confirming his new role as the drummer for SLIPKNOT. Eloy's exit came just two months after the band announced they would celebrate their 40th anniversary with a globe-spanning farewell tour. In their public statement at the time, the remaining members expressed profound shock, noting they were taken completely by surprise when their former drummer chose to abandon everything less than a month before tour rehearsals began.

The final North American leg of SEPULTURA’s "Celebrating Life Through Death" tour featured support from thrash legends EXODUS, hardcore heavyweights BIOHAZARD, and newcomers TRIBAL GAZE. The trek kicked off on April 29 in Montclair, New Jersey, visiting major cities across the U.S. and Canada before concluding on May 29 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.