Venerable rockers Metallica are heading out on the road, and they’re offering an interesting wrinkle to their most hardcore fans – a single-purchase ticket which allows for floor access to any one of the tour’s stops. The “Wherever I May Roam Black Ticket” is limited to 250 fans, according to the release announcing the tour, and will cost $598.
Anyone who opts for the Black Ticket can drop in on any show on the tour – currently scheduled for 34 cities in 2018 and 2019 – provided they call to activate the option at least 48 hours before the gig. This is valid only for stops on this particular tour, not any one-off festival, promotional show, or benefit that may be scheduled in the interim, but given that the price is competitive to what some artists have been charging for VIP floor options at a single show, it doesn’t seem (at first glance, at least) to be a bad deal.
As for the tour itself, the band will be hitting 34 cities in North America, beginning in September with a stop in Madison, Wisconsin. Some stops are in locations that the band hasn’t visited in years, including Grand Forks, ND (nearly 30 years), Sioux Falls, SD, El Paso, TX, Birmingham, AL (nearly 26 years) and State College, PA (20 years), according the tour announcement press release.
A presale for members of Metallica’s fan club begins on Tuesday February 27, with a Spotify presale beginning on Wednesday the 28. General sale kicks off on Friday, March 2.
In addition to the Black Ticket option, the band is offering several enhanced “experiences” on the tour, which range from the “Unforgiven” package at $229 with early access for those who want a GA floor ticket, a special venue entrance, a limited edition poster and “limited-edition Metallica merchandise gift,” whatever that may be. For $399, the “Whiplash” experience gives the same, plus access to the ‘Sanitarium Rubber Room’ for a pre-show buffet dinner and one drink ticket at the cash bar.
At the pinnacle is the “Hardwired” experience, which comes with a premium ticket, meet and greet with the band, autographed setlist, parking, and TWO drink tickets along with their buffet dinner. That’ll set a fan back $2,499. That’s quite a bit steeper than prices that had fans in Europe crying foul for Kylie Minogue’s recent mini-tour there, so we’ll see if that price tag costs the band any goodwill among their fans.
The full set of tour dates is listed below:
Metallica WorldWired Tour
| Sep 2, 2018 | Madison, WI | Kohl Center |
| Sep 4, 2018 | Minneapolis, MN | Target Center |
| Sep 6, 2018 | Lincoln, NE | Pinnacle Bank Arena |
| Sep 8, 2018 | Grand Forks, ND | Alerus Center |
| Sep 11, 2018 | Sioux Falls, SD | Denny Sanford Premier Center |
| Sep 13, 2018 | Winnipeg, MB | Bell MTS Place |
| Sep 15, 2018 | Saskatoon, SK | SaskTel Centre |
| Oct 16, 2018 | Milwaukee, WI | Wisconsin Entertainment and SportCenter |
| Oct 18, 2018 | Pittsburgh, PA | PPG Paints Arena |
| Oct 20, 2018 | State College, PA | Bryce Jordan Center |
| Oct 22, 2018 | Charlotte, NC | Spectrum Center |
| Oct 27, 2018 | Buffalo, NY | KeyBank Center |
| Oct 29, 2018 | Albany, NY | Times Union Center |
| Nov 26, 2018 | Las Vegas, NV | T-Mobile Arena |
| Nov 28, 2018 | Boise, ID | Taco Bell Arena |
| Nov 30, 2018 | Salt Lake City, UT | Vivint Smart Home Arena |
| Dec 2, 2018 | Spokane, WA | Spokane Arena |
| Dec 5, 2018 | Portland, OR | Moda Center |
| Dec 7, 2018 | Sacramento, CA | Golden 1 Center |
| Dec 9, 2018 | Fresno, CA | Save Mart Center |
| Jan 18, 2019 | Tulsa, OK | BOK Center |
| Jan 20, 2019 | Little Rock, AR | Verizon Arena |
| Jan 22, 2019 | Birmingham, AL | Legacy Arena at The BJCC |
| Jan 24, 2019 | Nashville, TN | Bridgestone Arena |
| Jan 28, 2019 | Raleigh, NC | PNC Arena |
| Jan 30, 2019 | Cincinnati, OH | U.S. Bank Arena |
| Feb 1, 2019 | Cleveland, OH | Quicken Loans Arena |
| Feb 28, 2019 | El Paso, TX | Don Haskins Center |
| Mar 2, 2019 | Lubbock, TX | United Supermarkets Arena |
| Mar 4, 2019 | Wichita, KS | Intrust Bank Arena |
| Mar 6, 2019* | Kansas City, MO* | Sprint Center* |
| Mar 9, 2019 | Louisville, KY | KFC Yum! Center |
| Mar 11, 2019 | Indianapolis, IN | Bankers Life Fieldhouse |
| Mar 13, 2019 | Grand Rapids, MI | Van Andel Arena |
