Metallica Cancels Sonic Temple & Louder Than Life Appearances

Metallica has canceled their headlining appearances at the Sonic Temple and Louder Than Life festivals. Guitarist James Hetfield posted a letter to fans in which he announced the news but also noted the band will play all other 2020 shows that were previously confirmed.

Hetfield entered rehab in September and said “my therapy is going well” in his note. “It pains me to write this, but I have to let all of you know that I cannot make it to Sonic Temple in Columbus and Louder Than Life in Louisville this year,” wrote James. “As part of my continuing effort to get and stay healthy, I have critical recovery events on those weekends that cannot be moved. I apologize to all of our fans who have bought tickets for these festivals. We are working with the festival promoters to provide for refunds or exchanges. My intent with this statement is saying ‘I apologize’ to each one of you. The reality is that I have not prioritized my health in the past year of touring and I now know that my mental health comes first. That might sound like a no-brainer for most of you but I didn’t want to let the Metallica team/family down and, I alone, completely compromised myself.”

Metallica will still head to South America for dates in April and will play multiple sets at Epicenter, Welcome To Rockville and Aftershock. Head here to read the full note. Sonic Temple have replaced Metallica with Tool and Red Hot Chili Peppers.