Turnstile declined Metallica tour invitation, Hetfield says
Limp Bizkit and Avatar will open Metallica’s 2027 North American stadium run, which begins May 8 in Vancouver.
Turnstile turned down an invitation to tour as Metallica’s opening act, Metallica frontman James Hetfield said on his SiriusXM program Riff Life. Hetfield said his band had wanted to bring the group on the road, but Turnstile was already succeeding independently.
Despite the refusal, Hetfield praised Turnstile’s concerts and said seeing the band perform offered a different experience from listening to its recordings. He also spoke positively about spending time with its members. In 2024, Hetfield drew attention online while watching Turnstile at Norway’s Tons of Rock festival alongside Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford.
Metallica’s upcoming schedule includes a Las Vegas Sphere residency without an opening act and a 2027 stadium tour across 12 North American cities. Limp Bizkit and Avatar will support the stadium dates, beginning in Vancouver on May 8.
Avatar previously opened European and U.K. dates on Metallica’s M72 tour. In an Instagram post, Metallica credited the Swedish band with bringing a different kind of performance to those shows.
