Some of Metallica’s most iconic songs have come from their 1999 album S&M, which had them teaming up with the San Francisco Symphony. And now, with an aim of celebrating the 20th anniversary of its release, the band has decided to hold a big concert this September. It will be the first concert at San Francisco’s Chase Center that’s currently under construction to be made the home venue of the NBA team, Golden State Warriors. The band is currently on tour in Europe.
Metallica made this big announcement via their Instagram, where they wrote, “We’re honored to take part in the Grand Opening of the Chase_Center in San Francisco as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of S&M! Join us at what is sure to become a cultural landmark in the Bay Area for S&M alongside the San Francisco Symphony with Music Director Michael Wilson Thomas.”
S&M was released in April 1999, and went on to sell 2.5 million copies in its first week. As of August 2013, the album had sold more than 8 million copies worldwide. It’s known for the additional symphonic accompaniment that complemented Metallica’s songs. According to lead singer James Hetfield, this idea was first thought about by the band’s late bass guitarist Cliff Burton owing to his love for classical music. All but two of the songs from the album were previous Metallica songs that were recorded live with the symphony. Hits like Nothing Else Matters, Master of Puppets and more were to gain a whole new meaning with this arrangement.
Metallica has released ten studio albums till date, and the last one among them came in 2016 in the form of Hardwired… to Self-Destruct. This was the band’s sixth consecutive album to debut on number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album was received with widespread acclaim from fans and critics alike and has till date sold more than five million copies worldwide.
Metallica’s concert with the San Francisco Symphony will take place on September 6 at the Chase Center.
