METALLICA ANNOUNCE THE CREATION OF NEW ANNUAL MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL TO TAKE PLACE THIS SUMMER

Here are the details  behind Metallica's big announcement today:

Los Angeles, CA - February 7, 2012 - Metallica, in conjunction with friends C3 Presents, today announced the creation of Orion Music + More, a new annual music, arts, and lifestyle festival founded and headlined by the band, a natural progression for a band that has headlined legendary festivals around the world for years.  Orion Music + More will take place June 23-24 at Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

"We've had the idea of doing our own lifestyle festival with lots of diverse music and fun and games for years," said Lars Ulrich.  "Finally this year all the practical ducks lined up in a row, and we are beyond psyched to bring Orion to our fans, friends and the curious.   After the most incredible of weeks ever in December 2011 celebrating our 30th anniversary at the Fillmore in San Francisco, CA, bringing the spirit of that week, the looseness of that week, the possibilities of that week, the fan interactive elements of that week, and the (fill in your own blank here) of that week to a festival setting is so exciting we can hardly contain ourselves."

Orion Music + More will feature multiple live music stages plus a lifestyle element that reflects each of Metallica's band members many personal interests.  Metallica will headline both nights of Orion Music + More and play "The Black Album" in its entirety one night Ride The Lightning in its entirety the other.  This will be the only time the band will perform these albums in North America in 2012.   The lineup for Orion Music + More will span multiple musical genres.   From punk to country, over 20 bands will perform, including:  Arctic Monkeys, Avenged Sevenfold, Modest Mouse, The Gaslight Anthem, Cage The Elephant, Fucked Up, Best Coast, Hot Snakes, Titus Andronicus, Gary Clark Jr., Lucero, Roky Erickson, The Black Angels, The Sword, Liturgy, and more to be announced in the coming weeks.

 The Metallica Met Club fan club presale starts tomorrow - February 8th at 10am (Eastern) and runs through Friday, February 10th at 10pm (Eastern).  Met Club members get first dibs on buying festival tickets and with a couple of options to choose from.

- A Super Special Price at $125 including all fees for a 2-Day pass OR

- The MET CLUB ULTRA 2-DAY PASS, which includes Front of Stage Viewing Area Access, Exclusive Ultra Lounge Access & More for $225 including all fees!

Tickets will go on-sale to the public on Saturday, February 11th at 10 am (Eastern) for $150 for a 2-Day Pass including all fees.  Visit http://www.orionmusicandmore.com to buy tickets. 

Stay tuned for additional Orion Music + More announcements.

Comments

[Will]

That is definately a C3 lineup. Who would have ever thought a Metallica festival would have Modest Mouse, Arctic Monkeys, and Lucero over Lamb of God, Motorhead, and Alice in Chains. I am quite shocked by the lineup. Love some Lucero though.

[Jeff]

What a crap lineup.

[Kenny Ozz]

*YAWN*

[snoot]

Yep, crappy line-up. I'd go see Roky Erickson, Fucked Up and The Sword if I got a free ticket and then get the hell out.

[Metalboy!]

More power to them but I personally will be as far from Atlantic City as financially possible on those dates. Still, I am happy for their fans and like the diverse line-up along with the Art & Culture aspect of the festival.

I just do not view Metallica as Rock & Roll enough, or certainly not nearly as Rock & Roll as they were from "Master of Puppets" on back.

[Him]

I think this is just a steady evolution of Metallica into a middle-aged-plus nostalgia act akin to a heavy metal Steve Miller Band. JAH is a lil' more than a year shy of 50, as is LU, and KLH is less than a year away even if his hair is significantly younger (I guess Brian Johnson and the guys in the Scorpions bought all the hats).

I've said it other times, I don't begrudge a band for changing members or for changing styles. But, personally, I think they started circling the shark around the time that CLB died. Never would have I thought that bell bottoms were the glue holding that incredible sound together or that a former and now born again guitarist would have been more consistent in holding up a version, albeit more than just a variation thereon, of the same (we can skip past _Risk_ even if I personally enjoyed "Breadline").

And, to be clear, that is my personal take on what I like(d) about Metallica. Can't argue with their commercial success and even admire their willingness to do what they want when they want (the vanity shows this past December and the LR collaboration being a natural extension of this tendency). They are safely beyond the grey rage of the early adopters and have much more of a commercial fan base to rely on when it comes to tours. And commercial is key here. Scan the audiences at the Big Four concerts. Lots of youngins' raised on the Black Album or (cringe-worthy) or raised by parents raised on the Black Album. "Enter Sandman" led them back to "Creeping Death" and not the other way around.

You can't ride the lightning forever. But you can monetize it and repackage it for the fans who are willing to pay, and who readily enjoy, what Metallica has become.

Me? I can do without. If I want my whiskey, I will ask Lizzy version 1.0.