Metallica shocked us yesterday with the news that their forthcoming Australian/New Zealand tour with Slipknot next month was being called off due to frontman James Hetfield being re-admitted to rehab, which left a lot of fans wondering if Slipknot would still be coming as a result.
Slipknot have now released a statement about the cancellation, and it seems that it's unlikely they will be playing their own shows next month, although nothing has yet been explicitly confirmed. The statement alludes to the fact that the news was quite sudden for everyone involved. It reads:
To our Australian and New Zealand fans and family,
We only recently heard the news about the tour being postponed, and we are working as quickly as possible to determine next steps. We will let everyone know as soon as we are able.
Of course, our thoughts are with James and Metallica. We wish them nothing but the best.
We hope to see you all very soon.
-Slipknot
Maybe we'll get Slipknot headlining Download 2020? At any rate, we hope that James gets the help he needs and that he can recover in due time.
Listen to Slipknot now.
