Last December, Metallica threw themselves a week-long birthday party in San Francisco. Now, they're throwing themselves a whole music festival.
The Metallica-curated Orion Music + More festival will take place on June 23-24 at Bader Field in Atlantic City, N.J.. Co-produced by the promotions company C3, the show will have the standard amenities like multiple stages and lifestyle booths.
The hand-selected lineup includes thrash favorites like Best Coast, Modest Mouse and Roky Erickson. We kid, though, and admit to being surprised by the diverse roster Metallica has corralled.
Arctic Monkeys, Avenged Sevenfold, The Gaslight Anthem, Cage The Elephant, F***** Up, Hot Snakes, Titus Andronicus, Gary Clark Jr., Lucero, The Black Angels, The Sword and Liturgy are also on the bill, and more bands are expected to be announced soon.
Headlining all of this will, obviously, be Metallica, who will play their self-titled "Black Album" in its entirety one night and Ride the Lightning the next.
Though the indie-rock centric lineup is eyebrow raising, Metallica have always had a knack for keeping one foot in metal and a couple of toes in alternative; they famously headlined Lollapalooza in 1996 and dropped by Bonnaroo in 2008.
A presale for Metallica Fan club members starts Wednesday. Tickets go on sale to the general public at orionmusicandmore.com on Saturday.
A two-day pass is available for $150, including all fees, while fanclub members can purchase a special $225 pass that includes a front of stage viewing area and what's called exclusive lounge access.
