Metallica has regretfully had to cancel their headline performances at Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival in Columbus, OH (May 15 & 17) and Louder Than Life in Louisville, KY (September 18 & 20) to allow singer James Hetfield to continue his road to recovery.
James Hetfield’s statement can be seen below:
Dear Metallica Family,
It pains me to write this, but I have to let all of you know that I cannot make it to Sonic Temple in Columbus and Louder Than Life in Louisville this year. As part of my continuing effort to get and stay healthy, I have critical recovery events on those weekends that cannot be moved. I apologize to all of our fans who have bought tickets for these festivals. We are working with the festival promoters to provide for refunds or exchanges. My intent with this statement is saying “I apologize” to each one of you. The reality is that I have not prioritized my health in the past year of touring and I now know that my mental health comes first. That might sound like a no-brainer for most of you but I didn’t want to let the Metallica team/family down and, I alone, completely compromised myself.
Looking on the brighter side, my therapy is going well. It was absolutely necessary for me to look after my mental, physical, and spiritual health.
I want to stress that the band will play all other announced 2020 shows.
I am looking forward to getting back to playing and seeing all our great South American fans in April. And, of course, playing the Epicenter in Charlotte, Welcome to Rockville in Daytona and Aftershock in Sacramento. We will still play two unique sets at each of these festivals.
Beyond 2020, I am optimistic about the blessings I have been given and what the future brings. I appreciate all the great prayers and support from everyone since I went into rehab last September. Like the moth into the flame, being human in this career has its huge challenges and can be difficult. Your understanding helps the healing.
– James
Metallica reassures its fans that Metallica will appear at Danny Wimmer Presents festivals Epicenter (May 1 & 3), Welcome to Rockville (May 8 & 10) and Aftershock (October 9 & 11) as scheduled.
Multiplatinum and Grammy winning bands Red Hot Chili Peppers (recently reunited with guitarist John Frusciante) and Tool have been announced as new headliners for Sonic Temple, joining Saturday’s multiplatinum, Grammy winning headliner, Slipknot for the May 15 – 17 festival at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Red Hot Chili Peppers will headline Friday, May 15 while Tool will headline Sunday, May 17.
Danny Wimmer Presents founder and festival creator Danny Wimmer says, “First and foremost, I want to say how much I respect and support James for taking care of himself, and for his commitment to getting healthy. At the same time, I am also deeply devoted to providing our festivalgoers with the biggest and best festival experience in the world. As disappointed as we all are to lose Metallica, I am thrilled that Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tool, dear friends of both DWP and Metallica, are stepping up on short notice to join Slipknot, keeping Sonic Temple on track to be the greatest rock festival in America.”
Sonic Temple and Louder Than Life pass holders who would like to exchange their passes to see Metallica at another Danny Wimmer Presents festival, or would like to receive a refund, will be able to do so starting this Friday, February 28. An email will be sent out to purchasers from Front Gate Ticketing on Friday at 10:00 AM EST with complete exchange and refund details.
Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival and Louder Than Life are produced by Los Angeles and Louisville-based Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination festivals in America. Additional DWP events include Aftershock, Bourbon & Beyond, Epicenter, Hometown Rising Country Music & Bourbon Festival, and Welcome To Rockville. They’re also the co-creators of Rock On The Range, America’s largest and most acclaimed rock festival, which celebrated its 12th and final year in 2018 with 140,000 in attendance.
Jason Price founded the mighty Icon Vs. Icon more than a decade ago. Along the way, he’s assembled an amazing group of like-minded individuals to spread the word on some of the most unique people and projects on the pop culture landscape.
