Metallica announced Monday that they would have to cancel appearances at Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival and Louder Than Life due to frontman James Hetfield’s recovery and events those weekends he cannot miss.
Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tool have been named replacements for Metallica at Sonic Temple in Columbus in May.
Hetfield wrote in a statement:
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. 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.
The full statement can be read here.
Danny Wimmer Presents founder and creator of the festivals made a statement of his own:
First and foremost, I want to say how much I respect and support James for taking care of himself, and for his commitment to getting healthy. At the same time, I am also deeply devoted to providing our festivalgoers with the biggest and best festival experience in the world. As disappointed as we all are to lose Metallica, I am thrilled that Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tool, dear friends of both DWP and Metallica, are stepping up on short notice to join Slipknot, keeping Sonic Temple on track to be the greatest rock festival in America.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, currently reunited with former guitarist John Frusciante, will play Friday, May 15. Tool will headline Sunday, May 17.
Fans have since been offered a chance to refund their tickets or exchange passes for another DWP festival. Festival goers should check their emails for this information.
