 |
| photo: Brett Murray / Metallica |
As Metallica prepare to resume their WorldWired trek in support of “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct” at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL on July 5, drummer Lars Ulrich explains the band’s approach to touring in a new interview with Newsweek.
“Not only do we tour a lot on the back of records, but we also tour even when there's no records,” says Ulrich. “Touring is obviously an important thing for us - to get out and run away with the rock and roll circus, and increasingly now, with more of the far corners of the world opening up in terms of infrastructure and production elements. So there are more places you can play and more countries you can visit. You can play your own shows, you can play festivals.”
Now performing dates in their fourth decade on the road, Ulrich reveals that Metallica has found a work/life balance that keeps things in perspective for all involved.
“We kind of found a way to do it in a way that's tolerable,” he explains. “We do it in two-week increments so we never leave home for more than two weeks and no one goes off the deep end or loses their mind. You minimize the risk of the whole thing derailing into the black abyss. We managed to get a functioning, balancing dynamic. We never feel like we're away from our domestic situations for too long. It’s working for us.
“For me, getting out there, I'd say in my day the two hours onstage is the safest place. There's no one to bug me. I'm the captain of my own ship up there and the best thing in the world is those two hours up on stage.”
The group’s tenth album, “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct” debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 upon its release last November and recently achieved platinum status in the US for sales of 1 million copies - a rarity for rock records in 2017.
Metallica’s current North American stadium run will wrap up in Edmonton, AB on August 16 before the group heads to Europe for a fall arena tour.
That trek will begin with a September 2 show at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen – rescheduled from February due to illness – before playing Amsterdam on September 4.
Metallica
2017 North American tour
Jul 05 - Orlando, FL - Camping World Stadium*^
Jul 07 - Miami, FL - Hard Rock Stadium*^
Jul 09 - Atlanta, GA - Suntrust Park*^
Jul 12 - Detroit, MI - Comercia Park*^
Jul 14 - Quebec City, QC- Festival D'Ete
Jul 16 - Toronto, ON - Rogers Centre*^
Jul 19 - Montreal, QC - Parc Jean-Drapeau*^
Jul 29 - Los Angeles, CA - Rose Bowl*+
Aug 04 - Phoenix, AZ - University of Phoenix Stadium*+
Aug 06 - San Diego, CA - Petco Park*+
Aug 07 – San Francisco, CA – Metallica Night w San Francisco Giants
Aug 09 - Seattle, WA - Centurylink Field*+
Aug 11-13 – San Francisco, CA – Outland Lands at Golden Gate Park
Aug 14 - Vancouver, BC - BC Place*+
Aug 16 - Edmonton, AB - Commonwealth Stadium*+
*With Avenged Sevenfold
^With Volbeat
+With Gojira
See also:
PRO VIDEO: Metallica perform Master Of Puppets classic in Chicago
PRO VIDEO: Metallica perform 1997 classic in Dallas
PRO VIDEO: Metallica perform 1991 classic in San Antonio
PRO VIDEO: Metallica perform Atlas, Rise in Houston
Search Metallica at hennemusic
