Metallica to livestream their 40th anniversary celebration concerts for free

Metallica
(Image credit: Press)

To share their 40th anniversary celebrations with the world, Metallica will livestream their December 17/19 gigs from San Francisco’s Chase Center through the Coda Collection via Amazon Prime.

“Forty years. Two nights. Two unique sets. And all live…and free” Amazon promise, offering specific links for each of the two shows, which were initially conceived as being for Metallica’s Fifth Members fan club only.

Announcing the special shows back in July, the quartet said: “As hard as it is to believe, the band will be turning the big 4 – 0 this October. It’s a wild thing to wrap our heads around… it feels like just yesterday that we were hitting the stage playing our first show at Radio City in Anaheim, CA, in the spring of 1982! Okay, fair enough maybe that wasn’t just yesterday; so many things have happened since Lars and James got together in the fall of ’81… almost 2,000 live shows across seven continents, mind-blowing successes and crazy off-road adventures. It’s been a nutty ride and even though most of the time it feels like we’re just getting started, we’re excited to celebrate the past four decades with you. What better way to mark this milestone than to invite the worldwide Metallica Family to join us in our hometown of San Francisco, CA, where we will be performing two different live sets at Chase Center on December 17 and 19 for Fifth Members only!!”

The gigs are part of a four day Metallica celebration being held in the group’s adopted hometown, San Francisco, from December 16 through to December 19. The full list of free activities, which includes a gallery show of Ross Halfin’s photographs of the band, a trivia quiz hosted by So What editor Steffan Chirazi, and assorted events revolving around flogging Blackened whiskey, are listed on the band’s website. The quartet are also teaming up with Amazon Music for The Metallica Takeover, a guest-hosted station where they'll share the stories behind various Metallica anthems.

Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.