METALLICA Confirmed For Los Angeles' HULLABALOO Benefit Concert

METALLICA has posted the following message on its web site:

"Our friend Flea (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) asked us if we could squeeze in one more day in Los Angeles and we just couldn't say 'no,' so we're honored to partake in the annual Hullabaloo benefit concert for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music to be held at the Wiltern Theatre (in Los Angeles) on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, along with our buddies SCARS ON BROADWAY.

"Flea and fellow musician Keith Barry founded the Silverlake Conservatory of Music in 2001 to help fill the void left by music education program cuts in public schools. Money raised by the benefit will go into scholarships for low income students who would otherwise be unable to afford instruments and/or lessons and will help expand the school's summer camp program and fund a new building.

"For more information, check out www.silverlakeconservatory.com.

"Tickets go on sale on Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. through www.ticketmaster.com and will be $200. A limited number of VIP tickets at $500 will be available only for purchase at the Silverlake Conservatory of Music (3920 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90039) or by calling 323-665-3363. VIP tickets include reserved Loge seating, giftbag, two drink tickets, and entry into the Silverlake Conservatory after party held at the Wiltern."

METALLICA will top the bill for the annual "Weenie Roast" festival sponsored by Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM. The show, scheduled for May 17 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, California, will also feature sets from THE OFFSPRING, THE RACONTEURS, RISE AGAINST, PENNYWISE, THE BRAVERY, SEETHER, SCARS ON BROADWAY and more. This date joins two previously announced METALLICA shows on May 16 in Tucson, Arizona and in mid-June at Tennessee's Bonnaroo festival.

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told a Los Angeles radio station on Monday (May 5) that the band's new web site, MissionMetallica.com, will showcase the kind of "making-of-the-album" features usually found these days on a DVD accompanying a CD release. Ulrich explained, "We thought, instead of doing the usual DVDs and all that, why don't we just do it on the Internet and people can kind of tune in every day, watch clips, contests, get updates for what's going on with the record and kind of watch the last couple of months of song titles, album titles, final mixes...So it's kind of a little bit of a countdown type of thing. It should be fun."

MissionMetallica.com launches on Monday (May 12). Ulrich also told the station, "Knock on wood, this week should be our last week in the studio," adding that the group expects to get its ninth album out in September.

Ulrich said that fans can expect to hear new material "about five minutes after we finish playing it thanks to the Internet," although he did not say how soon the band will begin playing some new songs live.