Metallica and System of a Down Cancel Shows ????

Another wave of concert cancelations and postponements has rocked the metal world in the past few days as the Louder Than Life festival, set to feature a two-night headline performance by Metallica, and System of a Down’s L.A. stadium shows with Korn and Faith No More have all bitten the dust thanks to coronavirus-related concerns.

Louder Than Life wasn’t set to take place until September, but event organizers decided to pull the plug early, citing the need for ample time to set up and prepare for the massive festival as well as two others on the same site. Metallica’s much-heralded summer festival circuit run, which saw the band announce two-night headline performances at five festivals, seems all but destined to bite the dust entirely now; only Aftershock remains, set to take place in October, but the likelihood that festival is eventually canceled, too, remains high. Hometown Rising and Bourbon & Beyond, two other festivals set for the same location as Louder Than Life, have also been canceled. The promoter, Danny Wimmer Presents, is offering refunds.

Louder Than Life’s cancelation brings to a conclusion a bizarre sequence of events that saw Metallica initially on, then off, then on again the festival’s billing. Mandatory “sobriety weekends” that are part of James Hetfield’s ongoing recovery process forced the band to pull out at one point, but an additional day was later tacked onto the festival allowing Metallica to re-join.

Separately, System of a Down have postponed two Los Angeles stadium shows that had been set for May, with Korn and Faith No More opening. The band says the dates will be rescheduled.

Keep up with our full list of coronavirus-related metal and hard rock concert cancelations and postponements right here. The list is updated daily.