METALLICA Invite Canadian Tribute Band SANDMAN To Attend Intimate Toronto Show
December 2, 2016, 8 years ago
At the beginning of the year, Toronto's local Metallica tribute band Sandman received a 41-page cease and desist order from an "overzealous attorney", who threatened legal action against the band. When Metallica were made aware of the potential lawsuit they issued the following statement via Rolling Stone:
“We hear that a Canadian Metallica tribute band is a little upset with us and with a little digging, figured out why. It turns out that a certain letter was delivered to the band Sandman that neither we nor our management were aware of until it surfaced online. Lucky for us, the band was kind enough to post it for us to see, and it turns out that we have a very overzealous attorney who sent this letter without our knowledge.”
Joe Di Taranto says that Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich also called him to apologize and quash the situation. "He gave me and the band his full blessing to continue on as we were. They want us to continue paying tribute to Metallica with their full blessing and approval. We will continue to fly the Metallica flag, loud and proud!!".
As for the original cease and desist order, Metallica rescinded the letter.
"Sandman should file the letter in the trash," the band says. "Keep doing what you’re doing ... we totally support you! And in the meantime, our attorney can be found at SFO catching a flight to go permanently ice fishing in Alaska."
The story continued on November 29th when Metallica performed an intimate show in Toronto at the Opera House, inviting the members of Sandman to attend the gig.
Sandman were founded in 1994 and had been using Metallica’s logo – a reworking of Metallica’s St Anger-era band logo – for more than 10 years.
Read more at Rolling Stone.
Coming off the sold-out show at The Opera House in Toronto on Tuesday night, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich sat down with Jamie Gutfreund of CP24 Wednesday and said the band wanted to do something to thank the city and Canadians for their support over the years.
“Canada and Toronto have been such a significant part of Metallica’s history for the past 30 years,” Ulrich said. “You guys have given so much love to Metallica over the years, so we wanted to come here and do something special for you guys.”
Video of Lars on CP24 can be seen below. Read more and find a photo gallery at this location.
In related news, Ulrich stopped by the q studio in Toronto to speak with host Tom Power about the band's legacy and their latest album, Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.
When asked about performing their clamourous metal sets in future decades, Ulrich says, "We may be able to still play them, but whether we can bring the weight and energy and the attitude that those songs deserve, I have no idea. Hopefully we'll have enough clarity to be able to tell if it's not working and walk away from it graciously and respectfully."
Listen to the audio interview at CBC.ca.
Hardwired…To Self-Destruct was released on November 18th worldwide via Blackened Records and has already gone Platinum in Canada, selling over 80,000 units. Check out the photo below of Metallica receiving their awards:
Some fan-filmed footage from Metallica’s show at The Opera House in Toronto can be seen below. Check out BraveWords review of the concert at this location.
