Metallica recently dropped an announcement stating that their Australia and New Zealand tour has been postponed. The sudden change of plans comes in place as bandmate James Hetfield is seeking treatment after his relapse.
The band shared the news on Twitter as, "A Note from Lars, Kirk, and Rob...We are truly sorry to inform our fans and friends that we must postpone our upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand."
"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", they added.
The tour was scheduled to take place on October 17, in Perth Australia at Optus Stadium. Expressing their dismay, Metallica further stated, "Once again, we are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who travel great distances to experience our shows. We appreciate your understanding and support for James & thank you for being a part of our Metallica family."
The team also mentioned how the tickets can be refunded by just following a few simple steps. They wrote, "All tickets purchased to the shows in Australia and New Zealand, including Enhanced Experiences and Black Tickets, will be fully refunded."
Hetfield, 56, has been quite vocal about his struggle with alcoholism. In an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, he said, "Losing my family, that was the thing that scared me so much, that was the bottom I hit, that my family is going to go away because of my behaviors that I brought home from the road. I got kicked out of my house by my wife, I was living on my own somewhere, I did not want that.”
Hetfield is married to his wife Francesca since 1997, and the couple share two daughters and a son.
