Metallica announced that it will make its first concert of 2020. It is a live show without an audience that the band will record and broadcast on different drive-ins in the United States.
This concert will be recorded at a secret location near their headquarters in California and will be “edited and mixed by our excellent production team,” as Lars Ulrich put it in a video announcing the show to air in hundreds of drive-in theaters.
This is the first time the band has played together since the S&M 2 show in September 2019, which was also released in theaters a few months ago.
“Drive-in theaters hosting the concert will adhere to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended guidelines as well as all state and local health mandates. Staff will wear personal protective equipment and enforce at least six feet of space between cars. The series will also use contactless payment and ticketing systems and limit capacity in restrooms. Guidelines around concessions will be enforced to abide by individual state regulations.”
The drive-in concert will air at the end of the month, on August 29 and tickets will be available on August 14, with members of the Metallica Fanclub, the Fifth Members accessing an exclusive presale 2 days before.
“It’s been a crazy, hectic, thrilling and exciting time at Metallica HQ as the four of us have all been in the same room making music for the first time in almost a year!” reads a statement on the band’s website. “’What’s going on?’ you ask? We’re recording a concert to appear at your local drive-in theater … that’s what! We’ll be the first rock band to be featured in the Encore Drive-In Nights series, with a full set screening Aug. 29 at hundreds of drive-in and outdoor theaters across the United States and Canada. We’ve been rehearsing at HQ for a show that will be shot specially for the drive-ins at a location nearby later this week, and then we’ll pass it off to our award-winning production team to then be edited and mixed at the highest standards possible to be beamed into your cars from the big screen.”
We’re bringing the Metallica live experience to a drive-in theater near you on August 29 with a concert filmed for the big screen, presented by @encoredrivein! Tix go on sale Friday, 8/14 with a Fifth Member presale on Wednesday, 8/12. Visit https://t.co/USlKNdaEll for more info. pic.twitter.com/AiD8sPe4IS
— Metallica (@Metallica) August 10, 2020