Metallica and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder are among the artists set to perform at the 2016 Global Citizen Festival in New York’s Central Park on September 24.
Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar headline the fifth annual event, and they’ll be joined by Selena Gomez, Major Lazer, Usher, Ellie Goulding, Yandle and Yusuf (Cat Stevens).
Celebrity hosts for the festival include Hugh Jackman, Chelsea Handler, Priyanka Chopra, Neil Patrick Harris, Seth Myer and Salma Hayek Pinault.
Curated by Coldplay singer Chris Martin, the event is part of a continued effort to end extreme poverty by 2030, as proposed by the United Nationals Sustainable Developmental Goals.
By contributing to charity acts on the website – including watching videos and signing petitions – people can earn points to get free tickets to the festival.
"Over the last five years, Global Citizens around the world have taken more than 6 million actions in the fight against extreme poverty - actions that are set to affect the lives of over 650 million of the world's most marginalized people,” says Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans. “This year's festival - and this incredible lineup - is an annual touch point to hold our world leaders to account on their commitments to solve the world's biggest problems."
The festival will be broadcast by MSNBC and msnbc.com and streamed online via YouTube.
To learn more about the event and how you can get involved, visit globalcitizenfestival.org
The festival marks one of two confirmed Metallica shows on their 2016 schedule: they will next perform at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 20.
The San Francisco rockers will headline the first rock concert at the new home of the Minnesota Vikings on a triple-bill with guests Avenged Sevenfold and Volbeat prior to the proper kick-off to the new NFL season.
Metallica are expected to release the follow-up to 2008’s “Death Magnetic” later this year.
A rumored release date of October 14 was revealed recently by Germany’s biggest daily newspaper, Bild.
Neither the band or their European distributor, Universal Music, have made any statements concerning an official street date for the project.
Metallica have been working on the record for most of the past year with producer Greg Fidelman.
See also:
Rumored Metallica album release date revealed
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Metallica share new album update
VIDEO: Metallica perform anthem at NHL Stanley Cup Final in San Jose
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