Metallica tour charges ‘Death Magnetic’ for North American return

After a surprise performance on March 20 at South By Southwest, heavy metal icon Metallica was on its way back to Europe to complete the remainder of the band’s spring/summer tour there. But national fans won’t have to wait long for more concerts on this side of the Atlantic. The “Death Magnetic” machine will roll back through North America at the end of 2009.

The next leg of the jaunt picks up September 14 at Sommet Center in Nashville, TN, and closes December 12 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA. The 26-city tour follows a similar coast-to-coast route as its North American opening in fall 2008, hitting markets the band missed the first time through.

Highlights include a September 29 concert at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX, an October 4 show at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, GA, an October 26 performance at Air Canada Center in Toronto, ON, a November 14 stop at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY, and a December 8 event at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV.

Tickets go on sale in most markets on April 4, except for Indianapolis, Charlottesville, New York City and Anaheim, where public on-sales begin April 11. Pre-sale offers will be available to members of the official Metallica fan club, MetClub.

Metallica is continuing to support its September 2008 release “Death Magnetic,” which topped album sale charts in 25 countries around the world. In the U.S., the album hit the No. 1 peak position on the rock, hard rock, and modern rock charts in addition to its No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200. That debut broke records, making Metallica the only band with five consecutive No. 1 album debuts on the chart.

The next performance on Metallica’s itinerary is a March 25 gig at the LG NEC Arena in Birmingham, ENG. The rockers have a total of 40 concerts booked for the remainder of the European tour, which ends on August 2 with a set at the Sonisphere Festival in Stevenage, ENG. Apart from Metallica’s 10 summer festival appearances, all headlining dates on the tour have sold out.

Metallica itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)