Metallica Make History with Special Announcement

2023-11-27

Image of the metal band Metallica.

Metallica – Author Cat Badra, photo by Tim Saccenti

It’s a first for Metallica, who are surprising fans with a special announcement

You can always count on the guys of Metallica for a good surprise. Case in point, the guys kept things pretty secretive when it came to new music for years after the release of “Hardwired…to Self-Destruct.” Then, out of seemingly nowhere, Metallica announced their new album, “72 Seasons,” which dropped in April of this year. I remember all the hype surrounding that announcement, and it was out of control. Part of the reason so many people got excited for “72 Seasons” was the surprise factor. I was thrilled at the idea of new Metallica in 2023, and it turned out to be a fantastic album, by most critics and fans’ standpoints.

Now, Metallica are surprising fans yet again with a special announcement. So, you could say that Metallica is making history, as they’ve done many times before.

Metallica just announced their final show of 2023, and it’s a headlining performance on Dec. 14 during the opening night of the three-day Soundstorm festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This appearance will actually mark Metallica’s first time ever playing in Saudi Arabia. They’ll also be the first major metal band to perform at a public event in the country. In general, this festival looks massive, and it features a range of different performers, too. Other acts scheduled to perform at the festival include Chris Brown, H.E.R., Pharrell Williams and Black Eyed Peas, among others.

Metallica took to Facebook to announce the news, stating, “We’re not done with 2023 just yet, as an amazing opportunity has just come our way to perform at a major festival that we have never played in a part of the world we rarely get to visit. We’re excited to announce that on Thursday, December 14 we’ll be the first hard rock band to ever play at MDLBeast’s Soundstorm Festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.”

It’s safe to say that Saudi Arabia isn’t into heavy metal. It’s not often when a metal band even performs there. But, maybe the Metallica showing will prove to the powers at be that heavy metal is worth a listen in Saudi Arabia.

So, the news of Metallica performing at Soundstorm is surprising for a few reasons. For one, as aforementioned, it’s their first-ever Saudi Arabia performance. But, it’s also surprising, because we’re almost into December, so this is very late in the game to announce a new show for the year. It’s actually just over two weeks away. But, Metallica are allowed to break rules. After all, they’re the biggest metal band in the world.

In other news, Metallica are coming off a banner year. The band’s “72 Seasons” release was one of the best-selling of 2023 and really proved that heavy metal can’t be ignored. The band also embarked on their “M72” world tour in May, bringing the songs off “72 Seasons” and their previous releases to life. The tour sees the band performing two nights in major cities, with two different setlists and opening acts each evening. Most dates this year saw Five Finger Death Punch and Ice Nine Kills opening for one night and Mammoth WVH and Pantera performing on the other nights. If you missed them this year, Metallica have additional shows booked in 2023, including another North American leg of their “M72” tour. Find their full roster of upcoming tour dates here.

Cat Badra
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Posted by Cat Badra | Metal, Music, Rock News

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