Is METALLICA Teasing ‘The Howard Stern Show’ Appearance?

BLABBERMOUTH.NET

METALLICA is rumored to be preparing for an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show". Speculation about the heavy metal giants' return performance on the long-running talk show airing on SiriusXM satellite radio gained strength after METALLICA posted a couple of rehearsal videos from its headquarters in San Rafael, California and followed it up with a couple of not-so-subtle-clues. "There are a lot of Stern looks around HQ today," METALLICA wrote in a social media post on Friday (August 7). "We're taking rehearsals very Siriusly." METALLICA last performed on "The Howard Stern Show" in September 2016, two months before the arrival of the band's latest album, "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct". In early May, the four members of METALLICA overcame social distancing to record a new version of their song "Blackened", with each member separated in his own home. The split-screen video was posted to the band's social media channels. Back in April, drummer Lars Ulrich revealed in an online chat that the band could get together to write and record a new album while in quarantine. METALLICA has been largely out of the public eye since last fall when the band canceled an Australian tour and announced that frontman James Hetfield was returning to rehab for the first time since 2002 to battle his addictions. In March, METALLICA announced that its South American tour, which was originally planned for April, has been postponed until December. In addition, the band's appearances at five Danny Wimmer Presents-produced festivals in May, September and October have been canceled: Epicenter in Charlotte, Welcome To Rockville in Daytona, Sonic Temple in Columbus, Louder Than Life in Louisville and Aftershock in Sacramento. "Metallica And San Francisco Symphony: S&M²", featuring METALLICA's 2019 performance with the San Francisco Symphony will be made available in August. The "S&M²" concerts featured METALLICA reuniting with San Francisco Symphony for the first time since the original "S&M²" performances in 1999 documented by the Grammy-winning live album "S&M" — plus the first-ever METALLICA/San Francisco Symphony renditions of songs written and released since those shows.