Metallica pulled out of their concert in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday (03.09.23) after frontman James Hetfield tested positive for COVID-19.
The ‘Nothing Else Matters’ rockers will now play the State Farm Stadium as part of their ‘M72’ tour on Saturday (09.09.23), after the heavy metal legend contracted the infectious disease.
In a statement posted to X, the band wrote: “We’re very sorry to report that tomorrow’s scheduled M72 date at State Farm Stadium has been postponed to Saturday, September 9, 2023, as, unfortunately, Covid has caught up with James.
“We’re extremely disappointed and regret any inconvenience this has caused you. We look forward to returning to complete the M72 No Repeat Weekend in Glendale next Saturday.”
The COVID-19 pandemic meant the band had to record their latest album, ’72 Seasons’, in socially-distanced studio sessions.
Drummer Lars Ulrich recently opened up about the battle to get the project off the ground in late 2020 after months of lockdowns and restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak – insisting the sessions gave him a “new sense of appreciation for what we have”.
Lars told NME.com: “At our studio we have cameras set up everywhere, and so when occasionally you see a clip it’s like: ‘Wow, oh yeah, we all had masks on!’ For the first six months of making this record, we had masks on and we were all social distancing in each corner of the studio.
“In the wake of all that, I think we now have a new sense of appreciation for what we have. After the last couple of years I’m feeling pretty grateful about the fact we actually got a record out of it and got through it, and I’m looking forward to getting back out there and playing shows.”
On their ‘M72 World Tour’, they play two shows in every city featuring two totally different sets – and Lars admitted it sounded like a good idea when they came up with it – but it’s quite the task.
He added to NME: “It seemed like a really good idea in 27 email chains but now we’re four weeks away from it, it’s like: ‘Whose idea was this?’
“It’s going around the world for two years and in most cities we’re playing on a Friday and a Sunday. Two completely different sets, no repeat songs. Two different sets of support acts. It’s basically like going to a festival.”