Metallica to Perform “Live” Show at Drive-In Theaters Across North America

Now we know why Metallica were rehearsing recently: metal’s reigning kings are getting in on the current trend of drive-ins, a balm for what ails us in these socially distanced times. The band will be pre-recording a live concert at a secret location near their Bay Area headquarters, will have it professionally mixed and edited, and then will air it on the same night to hundreds of drive-ins and outdoor movie theaters across America and Canada.

The performance will be part of the ongoing Encore Drive-In Nights series, which began in June, and will air on August 29. Pre-sale tickets will go on sale on August 12 exclusively for Metallica’s Fifth Member fan club and general on-sale will begin on August 14. Every ticket purchase — which admits one carload of up to six people for a total of $115 — will also include four digital downloads of Metallica’s new S&M2 album. The event will also feature a special guest performance by Three Days Grace. Check out the list of all participating theaters here.

While it’s not quite as exciting as the five-festival slate of double-headline appearances Metallica originally had planned for this year, it’s still pretty cool, right? Assuming four people is the average number per car (even though up to six are allowed), at just under $30 per person the value seems fair. Plus you can bring your own beer!

You can watch a special video message from Lars Ulrich announcing the news below.