The long-awaited lineup announcement for the 2013 Orion Music + More Festival is finally here. The second installment of Metallica’s very own festival is set to take place June 8-9 in Detroit, MI. This year, in addition to the mighty Metallica, the co-headliners are Red Hot Chili Peppers, Deftones, and Rise Against. Also featured this year are Silversun Pickups, Dropkick Murphys, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Tomahawk, The Joy Formidable, Michigan’s own Battlecross, and many more. “Last year’s Orion Music + More Festival was hands down the highlight of the Metallica calendar. A great time was had by all, especially the band members,” said Lars Ulrich. “The fact that it also resonated with enough of our fans and friends that it warrants another go-around in ’13 is beyond exciting. I can think of no better place than the Motor City, with its rich and diverse history of music, for the second ride on our Orion festival train. Bring it the fuck on!”
Both Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers were two of the top-grossing touring artists in 2012. Metallica, with the help of several major
festival appearances (including the first Orion Music + More Festival in Atlantic City, NJ), hauled in $86 million. They are still touring on their Grammy Award-winning modern masterpiece, Death Magnetic, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 in 2008. It was a banner year for the Red Hot Chili Peppers as well, who were still touring off their 2011 release, I’m With You, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. In addition to being inducted in into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, RHCP mounted a monster 77-show run, with which they hauled in almost $58 million. Both albums, Metallica’s Death Magnetic and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ I’m With You, were both produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Rick Rubin.
The 2nd Annual Orion Music + More Festival will feature more than 30 bands across 5 live music stages plus a lifestyle element that reflects each of Metallica’s band members many personal interests. Detroit will see the return of James Hetfield’s Custom Car & Motorcycle Show, Kirk Hammett’s Crypt, Lars Ulrich’s Hit the Lights Film Tent and Robert Trujillo’s Vans Vert Ramp alongside the Metallica Museum and many other fan favorite attractions.
At a press conference in Mexico City last July, Metallica commented that the writing process for new record had begun. “We’re not going to start recording, we’re going to start writing,” Lars stated. ”We don’t know what’s inspiring us right now,” said frontman James Hetfield. “I’ve been itching to write for a long time — all of us have — so there’s lots of ideas.” Bassist Robert Trujillo added, “[There are] lots of riffs to jam on, and that’s pretty exciting for us”. Back in early June, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett stated in an interview with Guitar World Magazine that he has over 400 riffs already written for the new album.
Metallica have been touring relentlessly for the last 5 years. Their last record, 2008′s Death Magnetic, which saw the band return to form. Both heavy and thrashy, it’s a nice mix of …And Justice and Black Album. Magnetic debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, and has since gone multi-platinum. It was nominated for 5 Grammy Awards, winning two of them (“Best Recording Package” and “Best Metal Performance” for “My Apocalypse”). Tentatively, Metallica plans to head into the studio in September to begin working on the new album. Producer Rick Ruben, who won the Grammy for “Producer of The Year – Non-Classical”, will once again be leading Metallica’s charge. Metallica recently released another live DVD from their World Magnetic Tour,Quebec Magnetic, the band’s first release on their own newly founded North American label, Blackened Recordings. – by Matt Bishop
