Band will headline opening night of Louder Than Life after expanding to four days
Metallica has shared that plans for 2020 following the COVID-19 crisis. As reported earlier, three of the Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) festival dates they were set to headline in the United States have now been canceled due to the pandemic. Epicenter in Charlotte, Welcome to Rockville in Daytona and Sonic Temple in Columbus will not be rescheduled. However, due to Louder Than Life expanding to four days, the rockstars will now headline opening night after dropping out last month due to frontman James Hetfield’s efforts to stay healthy.
“Greetings . . . not from our usual HQ haunts, but this time from our living rooms, bedrooms and basements. As many of you know, in our nearly forty years of touring, we’ve had a few mishaps along the way; broken bones, trashed appendixes, a pyro mishap, backs thrown out, crazy weather, food poisoning (beware of the oysters!) and even one way next-level anxiety attack! None of it has ever stopped us, but this is obviously a very different time and leaving the house now literally means taking your life in your hands. Unfortunately, in these surreal times that means we have to stay away from each other for the foreseeable future before we can start thinking about ‘Tallica family reunions around the world,” they share.
They continue, “We’re all putting safety first, self-isolating and socially distancing, but not forever! With that said, the South American shows originally planned for April are in the process of moving to December, Greta Van Fleet is going to stay on board to take this ride with us, and we’ll be hitting each and every city, but a few venues may have changed. We’ll be back later this week with the new dates and details about tickets, venues and everything you need to know to help you make plans.
“For those of you in the States, you know that we have some festival dates planned in May and unfortunately the news is not quite as good. With heavy hearts, we’re here to let you know that Epicenter in Charlotte, Welcome to Rockville in Daytona and Sonic Temple in Columbus have all been cancelled. There is one bright note; Louder Than Life in Louisville (September 17 – 20) has ADDED a date and we’re excited that we’ll once again be able to partake in the festivities as we’ll be hitting the stage on Thursday, September 17th to kick off what will be four days of live music and good vibes. Additional headliners for the remainder of Louder Than Life will be announced at a later date. Details regarding refunds and exchanges for the May shows will also be available there this Thursday, March 26th.
“Finally, to our friends in Australia and New Zealand, please know that we have not forgotten and you’re still in our hearts and minds. We will make it to your part of the world as soon as we can. We promise!
“We’ll sign off for now by sending you our love during these trying times. Here’s to looking back on this period soon with renewed appreciation for all the amazing times together with our extended Metallica family around the world. For now, go hang with your significant others, kids, pets, parents . . . whomever you have in your space. Create your playlists, watch some movies, try some old-fashioned board games and most importantly, stay safe. We’ll keep in touch!”
Full refunds will be issued to everyone who has purchased passes to Epicenter, Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple. Ticket holders will also be given the option to apply their pass to 2021 or exchange it for another 2020 Danny Wimmer Presents festival.
DWP is offering all current pass holders for Louder Than Life admission into the fourth day for free. They are also deferring the next installment payment on the layaway plan for a month and offering refund options through March 27th, due to the current financial crisis impacting the world.
Anyone who hasn’t but wants to secure a Louder Than Life pass can for $1 down per pass. Payments will start on May 3rd and split evenly in May, June, July and August.