A few weeks ago we hyped Metallica’s “Hit The Stage” contest, where one lucky band would be selected via public online vote to open for the metal legends across five dates of their WorldWired summer tour, including an opening show May 19 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.
The contest was supported by radio stations in the five selected cities and markets except Boston, giving New England bands a distinct disadvantage, as the fan votes in each region would clearly favor a local entry. Well, none of that really matters anymore, as Chicago’s Local H have won the contest, and will open for Metallica next month.
With the support of Chicago station The Loop 97.9, Local H took home 22.62 percent of the vote, defeating bands like Mothership (Dallas), Messer (Dallas), Shattered Sun (San Antonio), and Immortal Guardian (San Antonio.) See the full voting results below.
Of course, there are two ways to view this: Some are saying it’s unfair that a band like Local H, who have been around for decades and are best known for ’90s alt-rock hit “Bound For The Floor”, took the slot over a newer, younger band looking for a chance at some decent national exposure. Others claim it’s a deserving way to give props to one of the hardest-working bands in recent memory, a testament to surviving in the crazy music industry and a badge towards staying in the game.
A lot of folks felt the former, and Local H had some fun with those people, posting a video where they read aloud mean comments directed towards them. That probably earned them a few votes.
For those not wishing to see Local H with Metallica in a giant stadium sometime around supper time, fear not: The band plays Ralph’s in Worcester on May 5. Check their dates with Metallica below.
Metallica “Hit The Stage” 2017, with Local H:
May 19: Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium (also with Volbeat)
June 4: St. Louis, MO – Busch Stadium (also with Volbeat)
June 14: San Antonio, TX – Alamodome (also with Avenged Sevenfold)
June 16: Dallas, TX – AT&T Stadium (also with Avenged Sevenfold)
June 18: Chicago, IL – Soldier Field (also with Avenged Sevenfold)
Here are the online poll results:
