Metallica Returns To European Arenas & Stadiums With WorldWired Tour 2019

Commencing May 1 at Estádio do Restelo in Lisbon, Portugal, Metallica will play a total of 25 dates across UK and Europe, closing in Germany, at Mannheim’s Maimarktgelände, Aug. 25. 

Visiting 20 countries in total, the WorldWired Tour 2019 will also stop in cities Metallica didn’t play on part one of the European Worldwired leg, which was an indoor arena tour. The list includes Milan, Zürich, Dublin – where the castle awaits –, Berlin, Moscow, Warsaw, Bucharest, Göteborg and Brussels, where the band hasn’t played since 1988.

“We also have three firsts (go figure!),” a band statement reads, “with shows in Trondheim Norway, Hämeenlinna Finland, and Tartu, Estonia.” 

Ghost and Bokassa are joining Metallica as special guests for the whole run.

Metallica will introduce the so-called “Wherever I May Roam Black Ticket” to its European fans, which premiered at the current North American tour.

The Black Ticket is a one-stop shop solution that grants fans floor access to any Metallica show on the 2019 European tour. “Pick your city from A(msterdam) to Z(ürich), make a reservation online no less than 48 hours before the gig and you’re in,” the description on the band’s website reads.

A limited number of 750 Black Tickets will be available for 598 Euro per ticket.

Each ticket sold for the WorldWired 2019 tour will contain a MP3 download of the show its valid for, mixed by the team behind Metallica’s current album Hardwired…To Self-Destruct. Each ticket also contains a voucher for the album itself.

Fan-club presales start Sept. 25, the general onsale begins on Sept. 28.

“We promised we would be back. It’s the return of the European summer vacation! Following the attendance breaking indoor arena run that ended in May of this year, we are psyched to announce that we will be returning to Europe in May of next year to do an outdoor run of our own shows, primarily in stadiums, but also the occasional park and even a castle thrown in for good measure,” the band said in a statement.

Metallica smashed attendance records at almost all venues during the WorldWired European arena run, thanks to its unique stage configuration. 

The tour ended with two shows at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland, grossing $2,651,938 and selling 28,589 tickets across both shows, according to Pollstar‘s box office reports.

Pollstar spoke to Metallica show director Dan Braun about the production on the arena tour, which included the first drone swarm for a major touring act. The stadium configuration, of course, differs from the arena set up (see picture).

Metallica is as popular in Europe as it is at home in the States. In February, it became the first metal band to win the prestigious Swedish Polar Music Prize.

In its decision, the jury also took into account Metallica’s successful touring history, mentioning specifically the WorldWired tour, which began with a couple of warm up shows in Feb. 2016.

The first concert at San Francisco’s AT&T Park, Feb. 2, sold 41,119 tickets and grossed $4,341,114 at the box office.

The tour officially commenced at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, selling 13,039 tickets and grossing $1,368,148.

The tour came in fifth on Pollstar‘s 2017 Year End Top 100 Worldwide Tours chart, grossing $152.8 million and selling an average of 40,143 tickets per city. 

Taking out the international dates and only focusing on North America, Metallica came in third in 2017 – behind U2 and Bruno Mars – grossing $110.3 million and selling an average of 47,448 tickets.

– Metallica
WorldWired 2019 tour dates