Metallica Postpones Tour as James Hetfield Returns to Rehab

2019-09-28

Story by Charles Ken, photo by Ross Halfin

Metallica has postponed their Australia and New Zealand tour dates to enable James Hetfield to enter rehab for addiction

Metallica has announced that the metal band will postpone their upcoming tour dates in Australia and New Zealand as frontman James Hetfield enters rehab for addiction treatment.

Metallica band members Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hamett and Rob Trujillo shared the news via Metallica’s official website Friday night (Sept. 27):

“As most of you probably know, our brother James has been struggling with addiction on and off for many years. He has now, unfortunately, had to re-enter a treatment program to work on his recovery again,” the statement reads.

“We fully intend to make our way to your part of the world as soon as health and schedule permit. We’ll let you know as soon as we can. Once again, we are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who often travel great distances to experience our shows. We appreciate your understanding and support for James and, as always, thank you for being a part of our Metallica family.”

The band also shared the statement on their social media accounts.

The tour dates are expected to be rescheduled, but Metallica states they will refund all tickets purchased for the WorldWired leg, which was set to kick off Oct. 17 in Perth, Australia and run thought Nov. 2 in Auckland, New Zealand.

Hetflied has battled with addition on and off over the years. His issues were highlighted in the 2004 Metallica documentary “Some Kind of Monster.” The band has been on the road consistently since the release of their 2016 studio album, “Hardwired…to Self-Destruct.”

Author
Recent Posts

Charles Ken

Meet the expert - Charles Ken is a graduate of Michigan State University where he studied writing and history. He's a longtime music buff and covers classic rock for Audio Ink Radio. Contact him at ken@audioinkradio.com.