No one is more eager to get back out on the boards than Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich — but he believes live music won't return until a year from now. While appearing at CNBC’s Evolve Summit, Ulrich said, “What we know now compared to three months ago, six months ago, is that the wait is unfortunately going to continue to be long. I would say third quarter, fall of next year, at the earliest, is what we’re betting on right now.”
He went on to say, “As we unfortunately have to come to grips with, the last thing that will happen are big concerts, y'know 20,000 people in an arena, 50,000 people in a stadium. The good news on the live concert front, when Metallica and other bands like Metallica play big arena or stadium concerts again, then you can pretty much count on the fact that Covid, as we know it now, is over.”
He was asked about repeating last summer's last summer's “Encore Drive-In Nights” event, which featured fans at socially distanced parking lots across the country watching a pre-recorded gig performed in isolation in Sonoma, California: “It was a success, but at the same time, I don’t know what kind of legs that kind of experience will have because I think it’s more of a one-off event. I don’t think it’s something you could do too often. The burnout factor is too big.”
