Metallica have announced two hometown shows in San Francisco to celebrate the group’s 40th birthday.
Four decades after painfully-shy Los Angeles teenager James Hetfield and motormouth Danish rich kid Lars Ulrich decided to form a metal band in the image of their heroes Motorhead and Diamond Head, the group will play two special shows at San Francisco’s Chase Center on December 17 and 19.
The bad news? The shows are only open to members of the quartet’s Fifth Members fan club. Which is actually good news, if you already are a member, obviously.
A statement from Metallica reads:
“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! Okay, fair enough maybe that wasn’t just yesterday; so many things have happened since Lars and James 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. What better way to mark this milestone than to invite the worldwide Metallica Family to join us in our hometown of San Francisco, CA, where we will be performing two different live sets at Chase Center on December 17 and 19 for Fifth Members only!!
“We were so in awe of the love, support, and dedication that came our way during the S&M2 concerts when fans from over 60 countries around the globe traveled to the City by the Bay for the weekend in September of 2019. You guys completely took over San Francisco and the unbelievably good vibes and sense of family inspired us to invite all of you to come back! In addition to our two shows at Chase Center, we will be curating other live music and comedy events, Blackened Whiskey tastings, and so much more all around the city during the long four-day weekend of celebrations starting on Thursday, December 16. Details and ticketing information for these various events will be announced as they are confirmed.
“So… we bet you want to know how to get tickets, don’t you? Tickets will be available only to registered Fifth Members, and, in an effort to make it as fair as possible for every member who would like to attend, members are invited to enter to win a reservation code that will guarantee them the opportunity to purchase tickets in a private sale closed to the public. Reservation winners will be chosen randomly and e-mailed additional information and directions to proceed with their purchase.
Winners will have the option to choose from two-day tickets to gain entry to both Metallica shows at Chase Center or single day tickets for the show on either December 17 or December 19. Travel packages that include both tickets and hotel accommodations will also be available courtesy of MetallicaTravel.com. All members will be limited to a maximum purchase of two show tickets or one hotel/ticket package (package options include either two or four tickets).
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.”
As well as celebrating their 40th anniversary, this year Metallica are also celebrating the 30th birthday of their self-titled fifth album.
