Metallica have postponed their upcoming tour. The band was slated to perform in New Zealand and Australia; however, that has now changed so that frontman James Hetfield has time to enter into an addiction treatment program. The band took to Instagram to announce the decision.
The post begins, “We are truly sorry to inform our fans and friends that we must postpone our upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand.” The band continues, “As most of you probably know, our brother James has been struggling with addiction on and off for many years. He has now, unfortunately, had to re-enter a treatment program to work on his recovery again. We fully intend to make our way to your part of the world as soon as health and schedule permit. We’ll let you know as soon as we can. Once again, we are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who often travel great distances to experience our shows. We appreciate your understanding and support for James and, as always, thank you for being a part of our Metallica family.”
The tour was originally scheduled to begin on October 17th in Perth, Australia. The post ends with the band notifying fans that their tickets will be refunded and how to go about getting their money back. Hopefully, Hetfield will be in a better situation soon.