Metallica announce 40th anniversary celebration gigs

As well as celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Black Album this year, Metallica are marking another massive milestone in 2021: their 40th year as a band.

The metal legends – who formed in 1981, obviously – admit, "As hard as it is to believe, the band will be turning the big 4 – 0 this October. It’s a wild thing to wrap our heads around… it feels like just yesterday that we were hitting the stage playing our first show at Radio City in Anaheim, CA, in the spring of 1982!"

They continue: "Okay, fair enough maybe that wasn’t just yesterday; so many things have happened since Lars [Ulrich] and James [Hetfield] got together in the fall of ’81… almost 2,000 live shows across seven continents, mind-blowing successes and crazy off-road adventures. It’s been a nutty ride and even though most of the time it feels like we’re just getting started, we’re excited to celebrate the past four decades with you."

Read this: Metallica’s Lars Ulrich: "I still have a crazy thing about music. I’ve never lost the sense of being a fan…"

So, to celebrate, Metallica invite their Fifth Members to two massive dates at San Francisco's Chase Center on December 17 and 19, with "other live music and comedy events, Blackened Whiskey tastings, and so much more" taking place in the city during the long four-day weekend.

For those not registered as a Metallica Fifth Member, or if you're unable to travel to San Francisco, the band add: "We will have so much more to tell you about in the coming months, but for now, we hope that you’ll open those calendars and make plans to come hang with us for one unforgettable long weekend in San Francisco."

Get ticket info here!

Catch Metallica live at the following upcoming tour dates:

September 2021

24 Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life
26 Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life

October 2021

8 Sacramento, CA – Aftershock
10 Sacramento, CA – Aftershock

November 2021

6 Atlanta, GA – ATLive
12 Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome To Rockville
14 Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome To Rockville

December 2021

17 San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
19 San Francisco, CA – Chase Center

June 2022

15 Copenhagen, Denmark – Copenhell
17 Landgraaf, Netherlands – Pinkpop
19 Florence, Italy – Firenze Rocks
22 Prague, Czech Republic – Prague Rocks
26 Clisson, France – Hellfest

July 2022

1 Werchter, Belgium – Rock Werchter
6 Madrid, Spain – Mad Cool
8 Lisbon, Portugal – NOS Alive

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