Ozzy Osbourne is reuniting with Black Sabbath to headline an all-star UK stadium concert Back to the Beginning, celebrating the creators of heavy metal.

Billed as “the greatest heavy metal show ever”, the charity event will take place at Villa Park in the band’s native Birmingham on Saturday 5 July. It will also feature sets from Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb Of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.

Black Sabbath’s original lineup – Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – will top the bill, marking Osbourne’s final performance and the first time the quartet have played together in 20 years.

Formed in Birmingham in 1968, the metal legends have sold more than 75 million albums worldwide. The group called it a day following their 2016/17 The End Tour, which featured Osbourne, Iommi and Butler and grossed $US85 million at the box office from 81 concerts across North America, Europe, Oceania and Latin America.

“It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning….time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” says Osbourne, who announced his retirement from touring in 2023. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”

“This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever”

The all-day Back to the Beginning will also feature a supergroup of musicians, with acts so far including Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), David Draiman (Disturbed), Duff McKagan & Slash (Guns ‘n Roses), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jake E Lee, Jonathan Davis (Korn), KK Downing and Lzzy Hale (Halestorm).

Also confirmed are Mike Bordin (Faith No More), Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian (Anthrax), Sleep Token ii (Sleep Token), Papa V Perpetua (Ghost), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Wolfgang Van Halen and Zakk Wylde, with more names to be announced shortly.

“This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever,” says music director Tom Morello.

Tickets go on sale on Friday 14 February. All profits will go to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.

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As wildfires across Los Angeles rage on, the global music industry continues to grapple with the devastating crisis.

The 67th annual Grammy Awards, set for 2 February at Ingelwood’s Crypto.com Arena (cap. 20,000), is still projected to go on.

“This year’s show, however, will carry a renewed sense of purpose: raising additional funds to support wildfire relief efforts and honouring the bravery and dedication of first responders who risk their lives to protect ours,” said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.

Yet, Universal Music Group (UMG) has cancelled all Grammy-related events, and will instead “redirect the resources that would have been used for those events to assist those affected by the wildfires,” the firm wrote. UMG historically coordinates an artist showcase and awards after-party around the event.

“L.A. is home to so many of us. We are committed to helping and supporting the music community, our artists, our teams and the people of Los Angeles get through this horrific episode.”

After donating $2.5 million in relief efforts yesterday, Beyoncé has postponed today’s rumoured tour announcement.

“I will continue to pray for healing and rebuilding for the families suffering from trauma and loss. We are so blessed to have brave first responders who continue to work tirelessly to protect the Los Angeles community,” she says.

“My focus remains on supporting the recovery of these communities and aiding its incredible people as they rebuild”

The Weeknd has postponed the release of his new album Hurry Up Tomorrow by one week to 31 January and cancelled a one-off show at the Rose Bowl Stadium (89,702) on 25 January.

“This city has always been a profound source of inspiration for me, and my thoughts are with everyone impacted during this difficult time … My focus remains on supporting the recovery of these communities and aiding its incredible people as they rebuild,” he says.

Donations have been pouring in to aid in the city’s recovery. Sony Corporation will donate $5m in emergency aid and rebuilding efforts, while AEG donated $1m as part of a greater $8m package from 12 professional sports teams.

Metallica, through its All Within My Hands Foundation, has donated $500,000 to various funds supporting recovery efforts.

“In the past week, the community has suffered at least 24 lives lost, nearly 100,000 people under evacuation orders, 40,000 acres burned, and more than 12,000 structures—commercial and residential—destroyed. However, numbers cannot articulate the magnitude of anguish as the disaster upends families and dismantles livelihoods,” the band wrote online.

Other organisations are staging benefit events. Independent promoter Another Planet Entertainment has partnered with IHEARTCOMIX, Brownies & Lemonade and Teragram to present LA Gives Back: Fire Relief at The Bellwether (1,600). The 7th edition of the event, which is set to feature multiple stages, will see 100% of the funds raised go to charity.

“Los Angeles is home to a vibrant independent creative community – we’re proud to open our stage in support of our neighbours who lost everything in this disaster,” says Casey Lowdermilk, The Bellwether general manager.

FireAid, organised by Live Nation, AEG Presents and the Azoff family, will precede the Grammys on 30 January at the neighbouring Intuit Dome (18,000). Performers are expected to be announced in the coming days.

“We are devastated by the impact of the fires in our community and are grieving alongside our city”

Dance music promoter Insomniac Events announced a series of benefit events with “100% of the net proceeds [going] directly to assist those in need.” Details will be announced this week.

Even still, show disruptions are rife. Young The Giant’s two The Troubadour (500) shows, set to celebrate their debut self-titled album and 10 years of their sophomore Mind Over Matter, have been pushed to 4-5 September.

“We are devastated by the impact of the fires in our community and are grieving alongside our city. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the first responders and emergency personnel working tirelessly to protect lives and contain fires,” the band wrote.

The blazes have ripped through more than 40,000 acres since igniting last week, causing more than 150,000 people to evacuate and burning 12,000 structures, according to NPR. At least 24 people have been killed, with the cause of the widespread fires’ initial spark currently unknown.

The economic damage could top $50 billion and may rank as one of the most costly natural disasters in US history, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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US hard rock and alternative music festival Sick New World has been cancelled for 2025, just weeks after its blockbuster lineup was announced.

The C3 Presents festival was scheduled to return to Las Vegas on 12 April 2025 for a third edition, headlined by Metallica and the newly reformed Linkin Park.

More than 50 names had been announced including Evanescence, Queens Of The Stone Age, Gojira, AFI, The Flaming Lips, the Sisters Of Mercy, Meshuggah, Cradle Of Filth, X, Refused, Cannibal Corpse and Lacuna Coil. Meanwhile, Louisiana sludge metallers Acid Bath were due to reunite with their first show since 1997 at the festival.

General admission tickets for the day event were initially priced at US$400 (€380) and increased to $450 (€427) last week – up from $249.99 (€237) in 2023, the festival’s inaugural year.

The cancellation of the 2025 festival was due to “unforeseen circumstances,” organisers announced last Friday (29 November).

“Despite our best efforts, we’ve encountered unforeseen circumstances that we are unable to overcome for next year’s show”

“It is with great disappointment that we announce that Sick New World will no longer take place,” says a statement. “Despite our best efforts, we’ve encountered unforeseen circumstances that we are unable to overcome for next year’s show.

“We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the dedicated SNW fans who had made plans to join us for another cultural celebration of hard rock, goth, alternative and heavy music. Please stay tuned for further and future information regarding Sick New World.”

‍Organisers added that tickets purchased directly from Front Gate Tickets would be automatically refunded.

Sick New World was launched in 2023 by the Live Nation-backed C3 Presents. The inaugural edition attracted around 65,000 fans to Las Vegas Festival Grounds for performances from the likes of System of a Down, Korn, Incubus and Deftones.

System of a Down also headlined the 2024 edition, which reported similar attendance numbers, while Slipknot performed a career-spanning setlist to mark 25 years of their self-titled debut album.

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A huge week of live announcements has continued with news of tours for Kylie Minogue, Metallica and Stevie Wonder.

Minogue has announced her biggest outing in a decade, with the Tension Tour launching in her native Australia in February next year, stopping at RAC Arena, Perth (15 February), AEC Arena, Adelaide (18 February), Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne (20-21 February), Brisbane Entertainment Centre (26 February) and Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney (1-2 March).

The CAA-represented singer will then visit Asia later in March to play venues to be announced in Bangkok, Tokyo, Kaohsiung and Manila, before the tour arrives in the UK in May.

The British leg will include dates at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro (16 May), Utilita Arena, Newcastle (17 May), AO Arena, Manchester (19 May), M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool (22 May), Utilita Arena, Sheffield (23 May), London’s The O2 (26-27 May), Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham (30 May) and BP Pulse Live, Birmingham (31 May).

Elsewhere, Metallica have confirmed their M72 World Tour will be extended into a third year, with the announcement of 21 North American shows spanning April, May and June 2025. The group will also return to Australia and New Zealand next year, with dates still to be revealed.

Since opening April 2023 in Amsterdam, M72 has seen Metallica play to three million fans. Its 2024 leg will conclude with four nights at Mexico City’s Estadio GNP Seguros, where the band will play to more than 250,000 fans over the course of two No Repeat Weekends.

Booked by K2 Agency, their 2025 schedule will continue the No Repeat Weekend tradition, with each two-night stint featuring entirely different setlists and support lineups.

Metallica’s 2025 itinerary will also include two festival headline slots

In addition to playing stadiums across the US, their itinerary will also include two festival headline slots – the opening night of the run April 12 at Sick New World at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. That will be followed by a festival/No Repeat Weekend combo on 9 & 11 May as Metallica play two headline sets at Sonic Temple at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

Support on M72’s 2025 North American run, produced by Live Nation, will come from Pantera, Limp Bizkit, Suicidal Tendencies and Ice Nine Kills. A portion of proceeds from every ticket sold will go to local charities via the band’s All Within My Hands foundation.

And the legendary Stevie Wonder has also announced he will be playing 10 dates across the US next month, at the height of election season, in a call for “joy over anger, kindness over recrimination, peace over war”.

The performances, titled Sing Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart, are produced by Wonder Productions and promoted by AEG Presents in partnership with Free Lunch, begin 8 October at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

The run will also include shows at Madison Square Garden in New York (10 October), Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center (12 October), CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore (15 October), Greensboro Coliseum (17 October), Atlanta’s State Farm Arena (19 October), Little Caesars Arena, Detroit (22 October), Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee (24 October) and Minneapolis’ Target Center (27 October), concluding at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on 30 October).

Wonder, who is repped by CAA, will be offering a designated amount of complimentary tickets to “those in our communities who are already working tirelessly to fix our nation’s broken heart”.

Last week meanwhile, Semmel Concerts & RCI Global announced Hans Zimmer will return to Europe’s biggest arenas in 2025 and 2026 with Hans Zimmer Live – The Next Level. More than 400,000 fans witnessed Zimmer’s most recent European tour.

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California’s court of appeals has dismissed Metallica’s lawsuit demanding more than $3 million (€2.75m) in losses for concerts cancelled due to the pandemic.

The band sued Lloyd’s of London over six axed South American dates in 2020, saying they had acquired a standard cancellation, abandonment and non-appearance insurance policy to cover their losses if any of the tour was postponed or cancelled.

But Justice Maria Stratton ruled the shows were not covered by Metallica’s insurance policy because of an exclusion in the contract for any losses stemming from “communicable diseases”, reports Billboard.

The group had argued the case should have gone to trial, as a jury could have decided the gigs were cancelled for non-Covid reasons. But Stratton, who bizarrely quoted Taylor Swift in her ruling, said it was “absurd to think that government closures were not the result of Covid-19″.

“To paraphrase Taylor Swift, ‘We were there. We remember it all too well’”

“To paraphrase Taylor Swift, ‘We were there. We remember it all too well,’” she wrote. “There was no vaccine against Covid-19 in March 2020 and no drugs to treat it. Ventilators were in short supply. N-95 masks were all but non-existent. Patients were being treated in tents in hospital parking lots.

“The mortality rate of Covid-19 was unknown, but to give just one example of the potential fatality rate, by late March, 2020, New York City was using refrigerated trucks as temporary morgues. People were terrified.”

Lloyd’s has not commented on the lawsuit, except to point out that it is not an insurance company, but rather oversees and regulates a market of independent insurers.

Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed by Live Nation in 2021 against insurer Factory Mutual for failing to cover its “unprecedented” losses as a result of the concert business shutdown, is still pending.

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Last week, IQ looked at ten blockbuster concert tours planned for the next 12 months, including outings by Taylor Swift, Coldplay, P!nk and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

Here, in the second and final part of our 2024 preview, we run through another ten of the biggest treks in what promises to be another huge year for the international live music business…

METALLICA
Fresh from headlining Saudi Arabia first major heavy metal concert at Riyadh’s Soundstorm festival last month, Metallica’s M72 World Tour will see the band playing two nights in every city it visits. Each No Repeat Weekend features two completely different setlists and support lineups. It will also include a new in-the-round stage design that relocates the Metallica Snake Pit to centre stage, as well as the I Disappear full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16.

Territories: Europe, North America

Dates: April-September

OLIVIA RODRIGO
Following her 2022 debut jaunt The SOUR Tour, the GUTS World Tour will be the 20-year-old Californian’s first arena tour. It kicks off on 23 February at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, CA, with stops across North America and Europe before wrapping up with four  shows at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum in August. The 75-date tour will visit iconic venues including New York’s Madison Square Garden, Sportpaleis in Antwerp, Belgium, and The O2 in London, as well as Manchester’s new Co-op Live.

Territories: United States, Europe

Dates: February-August

NOAH KAHAN
The American singer-songwriter follows up his sold-out 2022 and 2023 Stick Season Tour runs by returning to Australia to launch his We’ll All Be Here Forever Tour this week. Produced by Live Nation, the Australia leg kicks off on Wednesday (17 January 17) at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl, followed by shows at Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane, Hordern Pavilion, Sydney and Red Hill, Perth. The 27-year-old then embarks on sellout arena runs on both sides of the Atlantic, before returning to Europe in August.

Territories: Australia, Europe, North America

Dates: January-September

DOJA CAT
Doja Cat’s first-ever VR concert was announced earlier this month, but the US rapper will appear in-person for her debut European headline tour this summer. Having performed her inaugural arena headline tour in the US and Canada from October-December 2023, she comes to Glasgow’s OVO Hydro on 11 June 2024, kicking off a European arena jaunt which also includes dates at festivals such as Rock in Rio Lisboa in Portugal, I-Days Festival in Italy, Poland’s Open’er, STHLM Fields in Sweden, Slottsfjell in Norway and Les Ardentes in Belgium.

Territories: Europe

Dates: June-July

BLINK-182

Reunited for the first time in a decade, Blink-182’s biggest-ever tour resumes Down Under next month at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia on 8 February. The ANZ leg is followed by a Latin American stint in March, with dates in Peru, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico, ahead of a US and Canada arena run over the summer months. The band will then land in the UK for a mix of arena, outdoor and festival slots, including headlining Reading & Leeds.

Territories: Australia/New Zealand, Latin America, North America, Europe

Dates: February-August

IRON MAIDEN
The enduring metal legends are still breaking records – selling out all 42,000 tickets for their first concert in Bogota, Colombia since 2011 this November in just 21 minutes. Maiden played to more than 750,000 fans across Europe and North America last summer and will hit the road again in Australia and New Zealand in September. The Future Past Tour will then move on to Japan for shows in Aichi, Osaka, Tokyo and Kanagawa, prior to a slew of North American gigs. It will conclude in South America in December, with two nights each at Chile’s National Stadium in Santiago and Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil.

Territories: Australia/New Zealand, Asia, North America, Latin America

Dates: September-December

THE 1975
The British group’s 2023 was shrouded in controversy as a result of their infamous headline set that led to the cancellation of Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival. But their touring business continues on the up and up, with a slate of European arena shows booked for Q1 2024, including three nights at The O2 in London.

Territories: Europe

Dates: February-March

NICKI MINAJ
Nicki Minaj Presents: Pink Friday 2 World, the Trinidadian rapper’s biggest tour to date, launches in Oakland, California, on 1 March. The North American leg runs until 12 May, visiting venues including Madison Square Garden in New York, Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The European stint will commence on 23 May at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome, also visiting Manchester, Birmingham, London, Paris, Cologne and Berlin.

Territories: North America, Europe

Dates: March-June

MADONNA
The rearranged North American stretch of Madonna’s Celebration Tour continues over the next three months. The Queen of Pop began the anniversary tour in London last October, having been forced to postpone the 40-plus date run in the US, Canada and Mexico after being hospitalised last year. The outing will climax in the spring with five shows at Palacio De Los Deportes, Mexico City from 20-26 April.

Territories: North America

Dates: January-April

JONAS BROTHERS
On the heels of touring their native North America in 2023, Jonas Brothers are taking Five Albums. One Night. The World Tour around the world in 2024. The show, which sees the group perform their five studio albums every night, picks back up in the Philippines at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay on 22 February, followed two days later by a gig in Tangerang, Indonesia. The trio then move on to arenas in New Zealand and Australia, with their first Latin America concerts in 10 years – comprising nights in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Argentina – scheduled for April, along with three shows in Mexico. The trek will then hit European arenas from May-June.

Territories: Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Latin America, Europe

Dates: February-June

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Metallica are set to perform the first major heavy metal concert in Saudi Arabia in the latest evolution of the country’s burgeoning live entertainment scene.

The American band, who debuted in the Middle East at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Park in 2011, will headline the opening night of MDLBeast’s Soundstorm festival in Riyadh on 14 December.

“An amazing opportunity has just come our way to perform at a major festival that we have never played in a part of the world we rarely get to visit,” Metallica wrote on their social media channels.

The group are currently in the midst of their M72 World Tour and will join a short list of guitar-oriented acts including Imagine Dragons and OneRepublic in playing Saudi Arabia.

“When we started playing, there were so many parts of the world where the type of music that we were doing was not really accepted,” Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich previously told The National. “There were a lot of places where people didn’t know what we were doing or didn’t have enough infrastructure to support a band like us. But it’s opening up. It’s changing and the world is shrinking. It’s great to be in the front lines.”

Soundstorm 2023, which runs from 14-16 December, will also welcome acts such as Black Eyed Peas, Calvin Harris, Chris Brown, Anne-Marie, David Guetta, H.E.R., Wizkid, Swedish House Mafia, J Balvin, Swedish House Mafia and Martin Garrix. General admission day tickets start at SAR169 (€41), with three-day passes available from SAR379 (€92).

“The desire for people to go and see live events in Saudi Arabia is stronger than anything I’ve seen in 35 years in the industry”

“The desire for people to go and see live events in Saudi Arabia is stronger than anything I’ve seen in 35 years in the industry,” Iain Campbell, ASM Global EVP of the MENA region told IQ‘s Global Arena Guide earlier this year. “With all the venues planned for Saudi Arabia, and potentially three in Riyadh alone, there could be a tour circuit of this country alone.”

The country’s ongoing efforts to attract and host A-list live entertainment is documented in IQ‘s recently published Global Promoters Report 2023. There is great interest in the opening up of the once-closed country, despite the kingdom’s record of human rights abuses.

A huge number of new venues is being built by the state, including the 20,000-seat Jeddah Arena, which is due for completion in December 2025, while the 25,000-cap Al-Awwal Park was renamed Mrsool Park in 2020. Other big name acts to have performed in the kingdom include Post Malone, Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars.

Veteran promoter Thomas Ovesen joined Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) in 2019 before launching his own company TOP Entertainment. He was hired to head up European live entertainment group All Things Live’s fledgling UAE-based Middle East operation earlier this year, and sees the emergence of the Saudi scene as an international touring destination as a huge positive.

“The Saudi market is an incredible story of how the country has gone from having no entertainment at all to now featuring live entertainment and music events for almost any type of activity,” says Ovesen. “The exciting part of this development is that it is still in motion, so we are only still getting to terms with how we service, collaborate, and benefit from this new market.

“As most of the Saudi show programming and bookings are done by or for government stakeholders, it’s yet to be seen how we will eventually be able to do business there and take risks on our own events based on a conventional market scenario.”

“Of course, there are challenges, including that some artists are still hesitant to play this market”

He continues: “Of course, there are challenges, including that some artists are still hesitant to play this market; very short timelines on many entertainment projects and bookings; and the perception – sometimes with reason – of unlimited budgets driving fee expectations up on the artist side. But on balance, the inclusion of Saudi Arabia in the Middle East live events and entertainment market is a great opportunity for our business.”

Ovesen says the Saudi market is “young, affluent, and very engaged, so pretty much anything will perform well right now”, adding that contemporary music, K-pop, and EDM are especially popular. And while the population is young, there’s also good business for mature audience offerings in smaller capacity venues and premium priced tickets.

Abu Dhabi-headquartered Ethara, which was formed earlier this year with the merger of UAE state-owned promoter Flash Entertainment and Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, is also active in the country.

“We are anticipating further interest and arrival to the region for major live events, shows, and performances following the recent successes in the UAE and Saudi,” says Ethara chief venues officer, Brint Jackson. “With this, it is important that we continue to strengthen the region’s infrastructure and capabilities to host international events, thus leading to further interest from international brands to enter the space.

“The coming years will be focused on expansion and growth, but we need to keep versatility firmly in mind with this to allow for new opportunities as well.”

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Mexico’s Foro Sol is to be closed for renovation for the majority of 2024 before reopening with a concert by Metallica.

The 65,000-cap Mexico City venue, which opened in 1993, has hosted two nights each by Muse, Blackpink, Lana Del Rey, The Weeknd and Arctic Monkeys, three nights by Depeche Mode and four dates with Taylor Swift in 2023 alone.

Other acts to have performed at the site this year including Billie Eilish, Post Malone, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rauw Alejandro, Imagine Dragons, Motley Crue & Def Leppard, and Peso Pluma.

After staging two Paul McCartney shows this week, it will see out the year by welcoming Junior H on 23 November, Siddharta on 9 December and RBD on 30 November, 1-3 & 16-17 December, prior to two shows by Twice from 2-3 February. Foro Sol will then be shut until the autumn while the revamp is completed.

Metallica will relaunch Foro Sol by bringing their M72 World Tour to the venue on 20 & 22 September 2024

As a result, Informador reports the annual Vive Latino festival is relocating its next edition to the 110,000-cap Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez motor racing track.

Metallica will relaunch Foro Sol by bringing their M72 World Tour to the venue on 20 & 22 September next year, when they will play completely different setlists on each night. Support will come from Greta Van Fleet and Mammoth WVH on night one, and Five Finger Death Punch and Ice Nine Kills on night two.

Located in the Iztacalco area of the Mexican capital, the venue has previously staged concerts by the likes of Madonna, Justin Bieber, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Britney Spears, David Bowie, U2, Shakira and Robbie Williams, as well as the World is a Vampire Festival.

In 2022, Coldplay became the first international group to play four sold-out concerts at the venue, while Daddy Yankee became the first act to headline five consecutive nights – attracting 322,028 attendees overall.

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Metallica’s latest ‘Helping Hands’ benefit concert and auction has raised US$3 million for charity.

The show, which was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, on 16 December.

Metallica were joined onstage by St. Vincent, Greta Van Fleet and leaders from six non-profit organisations.

All proceeds from the gig went to Metallica’s charity All Within My Hands, which “is dedicated to creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services”.

“The funds raised from the ‘Helping Hands Concert & Auction’ will have a lasting impact on All Within My Hands’ ability to grow our Metallica Scholars initiative, combat hunger, and aid in response to natural disasters,” says Peter Delgrosso, executive director at All Within My Hands.

“The Los Angeles event was the largest fundraiser in our history, and we profoundly appreciate the generosity of everyone involved. We could not have achieved these results otherwise.”

“The Los Angeles event was the largest fundraiser in our history”

As part of the ‘Helping Hands Concert & Auction’, All Within My Hands provided grants to organisations including Baby2Baby, First Star, Feeding America, World Central Kitchen, mikeroweWorks Foundation and The Skatepark Project.

The first donations generated from Metallica’s 2021 tribute album ‘The Metallica Blacklist’ have also been made, bringing in more than $1m.

All profits from the covers record are being divided equally between All Within My Hands and charities chosen by the contributing artists, including Happy Hippie Foundation (Miley Cyrus), RAINN (Phoebe Bridgers), Dhamma Mahavana (Weezer) and Outlaw State Of Kind (Chris Stapleton).

All Within My Hands was launched in 2017 by the members of Metallica and the band’s management team.

Metallica are due to release their 11th studio album ’72 Seasons’ on April 14. They’ll return to the UK in June to play two unique headline sets at Download Festival 2023 alongside Bring Me The Horizon and Slipknot.

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Metallica has announced a 46-date world tour, which will see them play two dates in every city they visit but with a new setlist and different support acts on each of the nights.

The M27 outing comprises 23 ‘No Repeat Weekends’ in Europe, North America and South America between April 2023 and September 2024. Venues on the tour are yet to be announced.

The tour, produced by Live Nation and presented by Liquid Death and Blackened American Whiskey, will premiere a new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed Metallica Snake Pit to centre stage.

Support acts joining the jaunt include Architects, Mammoth WVH, Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Nine Kills, Pantera, Volbeat and Greta Van Fleet.

Fans will have the option of purchasing a single-day ticket, a two-day ticket or an ‘I Disappear’ full-tour pass. For the first time, discounted tickets will be available for fans under 16 years of age.

A portion of proceeds from every ticket sold will go to the band’s All Within My Hands foundation, which is dedicated to “creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services”.

News of the tour comes shortly after Metallica announced they would play two unique sets on the Thursday and Saturday nights of the UK’s Download festival.

The American rock band, which is represented by K2 Agency founder John Jackson, says they haven’t played the same set twice in almost 20 years.

See the full list of dates for Metallica’s M27 world tour below.

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