Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony announced as opening act for San Francisco's new Chase Center

Photos: Metallica By Ross Halfin, Michael Tilson Thomas by Brandon Patoc

METALLICA AND THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY, WITH SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS, ANNOUNCED AS OPENING ACT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S NEW CHASE CENTER

S&M2 Concert Marks 20th Anniversary of Grammy Award-Winning S&M San Francisco Symphony and Metallica Collaboration Album

 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), Metallica, and the Golden State Warriors announced that the inaugural event held in San Francisco’s new Chase Center will be S&M2, a joint concert by rock band Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by SFS Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas and Edwin Outwater, on Friday, September 6. The Chase Center, a new 18,064-seat privately financed sports and entertainment arena in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood, is the new home of the back-to-back NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. This announcement is the first of the organization’s Reveal Week—a week of announcements showcasing the first group of top-tier acts to perform at Chase Center this Fall. “The San Francisco Symphony is delighted to be a part of the Chase Center’s opening week, and to perform once again with Metallica to recreate the magic of the historic S&M concerts,” said San Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas. “I’m happy to join with my friends in Metallica to make this an extraordinary only-in-San Francisco music event.” “This is beyond exciting on so many fronts,” said Metallica’s Lars Ulrich. “The fact that San Francisco is finally getting a much needed world-class arena, the fact that Metallica gets to be part of the opening celebration, the fact that we get to revisit S&M 20 years later, and the fact that we get to share the stage not only with the San Francisco Symphony once again, but with the legend himself, MTT, as he kicks off his final year as music director here in San Francisco. This is mind-blowingly awesome...bring it on ASAP!!!”

“Wow, what could be more quintessentially Bay Area than having the San Francisco Symphony and Metallica playing together in celebration of the opening of the Chase Center, home of our NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors,” said San Francisco Symphony President Sakurako Fisher. “Michael Tilson Thomas and Metallica are some of the Bay Area's most iconic artists—fearless, risk-taking influencers who are leaders on the world stage. S&M2 will be a blockbuster concert that celebrates the very best of Bay Area sports and music!” “It’s a natural fit for the Chase Center, the home of the Warriors and a new hub of community pride, to open with a joint concert by two influential voices of the Bay Area musical scene, Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony,” said San Francisco Symphony Chief Executive Officer Mark C. Hanson. “We look forward to joining with our friends the Golden State Warriors to put on a not to be missed show of extraordinary Bay Area talent, celebrating both the opening of this important new civic landmark, and the opening of the Symphony’s 25th season under the leadership of Michael Tilson Thomas.” “Bringing together Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony 20 years later for our first event at Chase Center is going to be an incredible and unique performance for the Bay Area,” said Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts. “This announcement is one of many of the must-see acts we’ll have as we continue to add a variety and diversity of shows to Chase Center’s calendar.”

The Chase Center inaugural event comes 20 years after the two groups first collaborated for a historic set of concerts billed as Symphony and Metallica (S&M). The original S&M concerts were performed by Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by the late Michael Kamen in spring 1999 at the Berkeley Community Theatre. The two-disc S&M album was released later that year, winning a Best Rock Instrumental Performance Grammy Award for its version of “The Call of Ktulu.” Filmed by director Wayne Isham, the concert recording was also released on video and DVD, selling more than 600,000 copies in the US and becoming certified sextuple platinum. The S&M2 concert will feature the first live performances of these arrangements in 20 years, plus the first-ever Metallica/San Francisco Symphony renditions of songs written and released since the original S&M, with new orchestral charts by Bruce Coughlin. The announcement was made earlier at a Chase Center press conference with Metallica’s Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, San Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, Warriors Owner and CEO Joe Lacob, Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

S&M2: Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony

Conducted by SFS Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas and Edwin Outwater

Friday, September 6, 2019

Chase Center, San Francisco, CA

About the San Francisco Symphony

Widely considered to be among the most artistically adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the United States, the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) and Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) have earned a global reputation for signature interpretations, boundary-pushing concert experiences, and award-winning recordings and media projects. Now in its 107th season, the SFS presents more than 220 concerts annually and reaches an audience of nearly 500,000 annually in its home of Davies Symphony Hall, through its multifaceted education and community programs, and through national and international tours.

About Metallica

Metallica was formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield and has become one of the most influential and commercially successful rock bands in history, having sold 110 million albums worldwide while playing to millions of fans on literally all seven continents.

About Chase Center

Chase Center is a 18,064 seat sports and entertainment arena, set to open in the Fall of 2019, which will anchor an 11-acre mixed use privately financed complex in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood. Chase Center will play host to Warriors basketball, concerts, cultural events, family shows, and more, totaling nearly 200 events a year. The sports and entertainment district will include two office buildings and 29 unique retail locations, along with 3.2 acres of publicly accessible plazas and open space.