METALLICA's LARS ULRICH: 40th-Anniversary Concerts Were An 'Otherworldly Experience'

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich has described the band's 40th-anniversary concerts as an "otherworldly experience."

METALLICA's two 40th-anniversary shows, which were held in at San Francisco's Chase Center on December 17 and December 19, featured different setlists. They were part of METALLICA's "San Francisco Takeover", a four-day citywide celebration of the band's 40th anniversary that also included a film festival, photo exhibit and curated lineup of smaller venue shows featuring other acts.

On Wednesday (December 22),Ulrich took to his Instagram to share a few photos from the weekend, and he included the following message: "Overfuckinwhelmed!!

"It's taking me two days just to start coming down from this otherworldly experience…

"Over the course of the last week, you've heard me do a few speeches and say a lot of things, so since I don't wanna repeat myself (too much!),I'll keep this one on the short side.

"THANK YOU!

"METALLICA is not me or you. METALLICA is all of us. It's a state of mind that we all share, it's a destination we all seek out, it's an element that keeps us alive, it's our common purpose.

"You keep this real. You keep us inspired and alive. It is because of you this thing exists.

"40 years?! Who would've fucking thought that this, whatever this is, could live and breathe this long, could still connect people, could still be somewhat relevant and still exist forty years later??!!

"Thank you to each and everyone of you for making it happen. Thank you to each and everyone of you for believing in the possibility of music. Thank you to each and everyone of you for being METALLICA.

"#Metallica40 #wanna".

The 40th-anniversary shows marked METALLICA's return to Chase Center for the first time since the September 2019 "S&M²" concerts that also served as the venue's grand opening. Those two shows grossed more than $4.1 million over the course of its two nights, according to reports submitted to Pollstar's Boxoffice, and the band ranked at No. 4 on Pollstar's worldwide touring chart that same year with a global gross of $175 million.

Fans who missed METALLICA's pair of 40th-anniversary concerts this past weekend can enjoy rebroadcasts of both shows on-demand exclusively on The Coda Collection this Christmas weekend in the U.S. and on Amazon Prime internationally.

The shows will be available to stream from Friday, December 24 at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. GMT / 2 a.m. JST through Monday, December 27 at 8:59 p.m. PT / 11:59 p.m. ET / 4:59 a.m. GMT / 1:59 p.m. JST.

For information on how to stream both shows, click here.

Following the initial viewing period, both concerts will return to the The Coda Collection and Prime Video with enhanced bonus footage and additional exclusives as part of an extensive partnership between The Coda Collection and METALLICA, which will include a full slate of concert films, documentaries, and additional content spanning the band's career arriving on the channel exclusively throughout 2022.

Formed in 1981 by Ulrich and guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, METALLICA has become one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, having sold nearly 120 million albums worldwide and generating more than 2.5 billion streams while playing to millions of fans on literally all seven continents. The band's several multi-platinum albums include "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets", "… And Justice For All", "Metallica" (commonly referred to as The Black Album),"Load", "Reload", "St. Anger", "Death Magnetic" and "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", released in November 2016 and charting at No. 1 in 32 countries.

METALLICA's awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards, and its 2009 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In June of 2018, the band was awarded one of the most prestigious musical honors in the world: Sweden's Polar Music Prize.

On December 16, San Francisco mayor London Breed presented Ulrich and bassist Robert Trujillo with a special declaration marking the day as "Metallica Day" in the city.

"When you talk about San Francisco," Breed said at the news conference, "you talk about cable cars and then you talk about METALLICA."