It’s happened before. It used to happen every once in a while when a band was popular enough. I’m talking about an album re-charting in the top five on the hot 100; a year plus after it’s release. And Metallica have done just that.
This past week Metallica’s most recent album ‘Hardwired…To Self Destruct’ came in at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Across the board, not just in rock and metal. And the album was released roughly 18 months ago. That’s usually when a successful tour starts to wind down. And Metallica, being the band that they are, have announced yet another leg of their ‘Hardwired’ tour that goes into 2019. I know it’s Metallica, but this is still a major accomplishment for any band given the current music industry climate. Record sales are way way down due to downloading a sharing. And the industry has come a long way in figuring out what constitutes a sale and getting some of their money back. But they’re still trying to pick up the pieces and its really damaged real musicians. But we’re talking Metallica and they’re big enough to be immune to the ills of the current music industry.
Not only does this unfathomable charting situation solidify Metallica’s presence. But it also strongly hints that heavy music isn’t going anywhere. I’m 29, I grew up in the peak of ‘metal is not cool. If you listen to metal you’re a loser, you smell, you’re dirty and stupid.’ And I’ve the seen the genre come a real long way in the past fifteen years. Thanks mostly in part to things like XM radio, Spotify and Generation Z. And bands that have flown the flag such as Breaking Benjamin and Mastodon. And now Metallica is #2 after eighteen months of their most recent album being released. Not only that, but Judas Priest’s new record ‘Firepower’ came in at #5 overall and #1 rock.
But then again, we’re talking about some major major veteran bands here. Bands that have been around for 30 plus years and keep staying current with metal. In turn, the fan base gets bigger and bigger as the generations move on. The question is: Is there any young, quality hard rock band that will have a shot at accomplishing this? The short answer right now is HELL NO. Unless you have a mentor that can guide your group whilst recording a self funded EP. And the chances of finding that are slim.
But lets not let that distract from how far heavy music has come in the past fifteen years or so. And lets not let distract from the major accomplishment Metallica have achieved. So crank it and celebrate! Heavy music is back!
Metallica 2018 & 2019 North American Dates
Sept. 02 – Madison, Wis. @ Kohl Center
Sept. 04 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ Target Center
Sept. 06 – Lincoln, Neb. @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
Sept. 08 – Grand Forks, N.D. @ Alerus Center
Sept. 11 – Sioux Falls, S.D. @ Denny Sanford Premier Center
Sept. 13 – Winnipeg, Manitoba @ Bell MTS Place
Sept. 15 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan @ SaskTel Centre
Oct. 16 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center
Oct. 18 – Pittsburgh, Penn. @ PPG Paints Arena
Oct. 20 – State College, Penn. @ Bryce Jordan Center
Oct. 22 – Charlotte, N.C. @ Spectrum Center
Oct. 27 – Buffalo, N.Y. @ KeyBank Center
Oct. 29 – Albany, N.Y. @ Times Union Center
Nov. 26 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ T-Mobile Arena
Nov. 28 – Boise, Idaho @ Taco Bell Arena
Nov. 30 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ Vivint Smart Home Arena
Dec. 02 – Spokane, Wash. @ Spokane Arena
Dec. 05 – Portland, Ore. @ Moda Center
Dec. 07 – Sacramento, Calif. @ Golden 1 Center
Dec. 09 – Fresno, Calif. @ Save Mart Center
Jan. 18 – Tulsa, Okla. @ BOK Center
Jan. 20 – Little Rock, Ark. @ Verizon Arena
Jan. 22 – Birmingham, Alab. @ Legacy Arena at The BJCC
Jan. 24 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Bridgestone Arena
Jan. 28 – Raleigh, N.C. @ PNC Arena
Jan. 30 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ U.S. Bank Arena
Feb. 01 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Quicken Loans Arena
Feb. 28 – El Paso, Texas @ Don Haskins Center
March 02 – Lubbock, Texas @ United Supermarkets Arena
March 04 – Wichita, Kan. @ Intrust Bank Arena
March 06 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Sprint Center
March 09 – Louisville, Ky. @ KFC Yum! Center
March 11 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse
March 13 – Grand Rapids, Mich. @ Van Andel Arena
A song I believe all hope to hear on the current and upcoming leg.
