Metallica UK Tour Dates with Machine Head
Metal Giants Metallica Hit the UK for First Full Tour Since 1996
Nov 14, 2008
On the back of the phenomenal success of their latest studio album Death Magnetic, metal behemoths Metallica are set to play their first full tour of the UK since October 1996. The arena tour will take in seven venues throughout February and March 2009, starting in Nottingham on 25th February and ending in London on 28th March.
All the dates will be ‘in the round’, with the band playing on a circular stage in the centre of the venue and the audience surrounding the stage. This has been the band’s preferred format for their own indoor headlining shows since the 90s.
Drummer Lars Ulrich has often utilised a drum riser that rotates through 360°, while the rest of the band have the freedom to go wherever they may roam, with microphones placed at strategic points along the edge of the stage.
Metallica UK Shows
On their last visit to the UK in September 2008, Metallica played an intimate show in front of 300 competition winners at the BBC Radio Theatre which was later transmitted on Radio 1 in a five hour ‘Metallica-fest’. The band also played a fans-only show at the 02 Arena, with the £5 per head ticket money going to UK charity Youth Music.
Metallica's Death Magnetic
Metallica’s ninth full-length studio album (and their first since 2003’s St Anger) has been widely hailed as a return to the kind of form that established them as arguably the world’s biggest metal band. Death Magnetic hit the No. 1 slot in 32 countries. It stormed to the top of the UK charts where it remained for 2 weeks, making it their third UK No.1 album.
Machine Head to Support Metallica
Main support act Machine Head will be returning to UK shores with Metallica for their second string of dates within a matter of weeks, following a number of shows with Slipknot and Children Of Bodom in December 2008. The Oakland riff-meisters have also enjoyed a renaissance of late, with their 2007 album The Blackening receiving an overwhelmingly positive reaction from fans and critics alike.
Doom-Flavoured Metal from The Sword
Opening act on all dates will be Austin, Texas-based metal outfit The Sword. Taking inspiration equally from Black Sabbath, Norse mythology and writers such as H.P. Lovecraft and Arthur C. Clarke, the quartet will be bringing their own doom-flavoured brew to the party in support of their latest album Gods Of The Earth.
Metallica UK Tour Dates
- Wed 25th February Nottingham Trent FM Arena
- Thurs 26th February Manchester Evening News Arena
- Sat 28the February Sheffield Arena
- Mon 2nd March London, The O2 Arena
- Tues 3rd March Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
- Wed 25th March Birmingham LG Arena
- Thurs 26th March Glasgow SECC
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