Metallica Cancel Sonic Temple And Louder Than Life Performances As James Hetfield Continues Rehab

Last year, Metallica announced that they would be playing two different headline sets at every single Danny Wimmer Presents festival in 2020. Now, the band has just cancelled performances at two of those festivals so that James Hetfield can attend recovery events during those weekends: the Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival on May 15 and 17 in Columbus, OH; and Louder Than Life on September 18 and 20 in Louisville, KY.

“As part of my continuing effort to get and stay healthy,” James said in a statement. “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,” he said. “It was absolutely necessary for me to look after my mental, physical, and spiritual health.”

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James has been in a years-long struggle with addiction, but lately has been prioritizing his health and recovery. Last fall, Metallica postponed their Australia and New Zealand tour after James re-entered a treatment program.

While the latest announcement may come as a disappointment to fans, DWP has lined up some pretty huge replacements. Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tool have been announced to replace Metallica as headliners for Sonic Temple, along with Slipknot performing on the festival's second night.

Metallica will still play Epicenter, Welcome to Rockville and Aftershock festivals on these dates:

May

1-3 Epicenter – Concord, North Carolina
8-10 Welcome To Rockville – Daytona Beach, Florida

October

9-11 Aftershock – Sacramento, California

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