Ultimate Guitar posted a new interview with Gary Spivack, executive vice president and talent buyer for Danny Wimmer Presents, in which he explained in a greater detail the circumstances that led to METALLICA‘s cancellation of two festivals and how he and the rest of the DWP team went about finding suitable replacements.
“Well, we got the call from METALLICA‘s management team, Q Prime, who are, the best managers in the business, hands down, and said that James has Sobriety Weekends that are requirement weekend that are throughout the calendar year, and unfortunately, a couple of those weekends fell on our festivals,” Spivack said.
“Although METALLICA will still be at Welcome To Rockville, Epicenter and Aftershock in 2020 with us, we did lose them for Sonic Temple and Louder Than Life. So, then it was, how do you even contemplate filling the shoes of the biggest band in our world? Well, you do it by finding two of the biggest bands in our world. So, we got RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, with John Frusciante, which will be one of only four shows they’ll be doing in 2020, and of course, Grammy Award-winning artist TOOL.”
Hetfield recently issued the statement following the cancellation: “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. 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,” James continues. “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.
“Looking on the brighter side, my therapy is going well. It was absolutely necessary for me to look after my mental, physical, and spiritual health.
“I want to stress that the band will play all other announced 2020 shows.
“I am looking forward to getting back to playing and seeing all our great South American fans in April. And, of course, playing the Epicenter in Charlotte, Welcome To Rockville, in Daytona and Aftershock Festival in Sacramento. We will still play two unique sets at each of these festivals.
“Beyond 2020, I am optimistic about the blessings I have been given and what the future brings. I appreciate all the great prayers and support from everyone since I went into rehab last September. Like the moth into the flame, being human in this career has its huge challenges and can be difficult. Your understanding helps the healing.”
Tickets for METALLICA‘s remaining 2020 dates are available here.
