Metallica tops Pollstar's Live75 for the sixth time this year, taking the #1 ranking with a mammoth sold-ticket average of 47,342 from shows in Europe at three stadiums and two outdoor concert sites. The band’s two September shows at San Francisco’s Chase Center also contribute to the average that is more than twice that of the #2 touring artist, Zac Brown Band, charting with a 10-show ticket average of 20,060.

Scorpions are also in the limelight this week, grabbing attention as the chart’s "Noise Maker" with the highest upward movement among the 75 ranked tours. With an average of 11,828 tickets sold at five international venues - two in Germany in August and three in Brazil in September, the rockers jump to #10 this week following their stint in the 22nd position on last week’s chart.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich was interviewed for a recent Pollstar cover story taking an in-depth look at Metallica’s touring prowess. He talked at length about the band’s career, touring schedule and Metallica’s legacy as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. An excerpt from the chat follows.

Pollstar: Was it hard to sort of age gracefully as a metal band? Musically, is that something you had struggled with?

Lars Ulrich: "To me as I got a little older, I used to think Metallica is James and I and Kirk and Rob, you know, we are Metallica, it belongs to us and you don't fuck with Metallica and all this shit. I don't think like that at all anymore. I think Metallica is all of us and Metallica belongs to everybody. Metallica is more like a state of mind or some sort of ethereal position or situation. It's like nobody owns Metallica and it’s a place we go, it's a place we escape to. It's a place we go and feel better about who we are or connect to other people or connect to the fucking energy of the universe. You know what I mean? And it's just a different kind of thing.

"So to answer your question maybe in not such an abstract way, to me, I just keep thinking and forcing myself to think that all our best years are still ahead of us. We may even, you know, turn professional and do this full time one day, you know what I mean?

"That's the MO, you know, the MO was always, which one is your favorite record? I'll tell you which one is my favorite record: the next one, the one we haven't recorded yet. It's always about the possibilities. It's always about what can be, it's always about what's coming. And that, to me is, is really what this is all about. And I think that attitude is, is a big part of why Metallica still connects to so many people around the world."

Read the full interview at Pollstar.com.

Metallica's next concert is scheduled for October 17 at Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia. Find the band's complete tour itinerary here.