Metallica Announce Local H as Winners of ‘Hit the Stage’ Contest
Chicago alternative rock band Local H have won the 'Hit the Stage' contest to open select shows on Metallica's North American tour. The duo, best known for their 1996 hit "Bound for the Floor," narrowly beat out Dallas outfit Mothership with 22.62 percent of the total vote. The latter checked in with 21.24 percent.
"Local H, ta dah, are the winners of the come-out-and-play-five-shows-with-Metallica-and-have-some-fun this summer," Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said when he called into Chicago's classic rock station 97.9 The Loop. "I know that they are obviously local hometown heroes in Chicago and Local H has obviously been on my radar on and off for 20 years, so to have them come and join this summer at our stadium run and play five shows is gonna be awesome."
Metallica's WorldWired Tour kicks off its North American leg in Baltimore May 10, and for most of the dates have Volbeat or Gojira joining Avenged Sevenfold as openers. For five of the shows, however, only one of the three bands were available, leading to an opening slot for which fans could nominate an act via a handful of radio stations around the country. That number was whittled down to eight choices.
Though pegged by some as one-hit-wonders, Local H have been critical darlings for the bulk of their career, which has seen them drop eight studio albums and a smattering of EPs. Made of of drummer Ryan Harding and singer/guitarist Scott Lucas -- who has a bass pickup built into his guitar -- the duo have been relentless road dogs and have a rabid fanbase. Their most recent release, Hey Killer, came out in 2015. The dates opening for Metallica begin May 19 in Foxborough, Mass., and wrap up June 18 in the band's hometown of Chicago June 18.
Metallica's most recent album, Hardwired...To Self-Destruct, topped the charts in countries around the world when it was released in November, and has since gone platinum in the United States for shipments of 1 million copies.
Metallica WorldWired Tour with Local H Opening:
05/19 – Foxborough, Ma. @ Gillette Stadium
06/04 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Busch Stadium (also with Volbeat)
06/14 – San Antonio, Texas @ Alamodome
06/16 – Dallas, Texas @ AT&T Stadium
06/18 – Chicago, Ill. @ Soldier Field
See the full list of dates for Metallica's North American tour here.
Watch Local H's 'Bound for the Floor' video
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