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Coldplay’s sprawling Music of the Spheres World Tour – 156 shows on four continents over two and a half years so far – continues, taking the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s monthly Top Tours chart. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the Brits brought in $72.2 million and sold 575,000 tickets over 11 shows in July.
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It’s the fourth time that Coldplay has led the monthly review, all of which happened during its current tour (the monthly Boxscore charts launched in February 2019), following victories in July 2022, March 2023 and January of this year. The first of those was while the band played in Europe. The second was for shows in South America, and the third in Asia.
The Music of the Spheres World Tour clinches its most recent monthly victory with a return to Europe, marking the third continental leg of the tour. Stops in Rome, Dusseldorf and Helsinki packed the July calendar, peaking in the former with $29.4 million and 252,000 tickets at Stadio Olimpico July 12-13 and 15-16. That’s enough to take the No. 1 spot on Top Boxscores as well.
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Beyond the chart triumph on July’s Boxscore report, Coldplay’s tour has now reached record-breaking heights. Since its kick-off in March 2022, it has eclipsed $1 billion in concert grosses and sold almost 9.3 million tickets through Aug. 25. That makes it the highest grossing and bestselling rock tour in Boxscore history, surpassing Elton John in the former metric and U2 in the latter.
Four dates remain to be reported in Dublin, plus 11 in Oceania later this fall. Having averaged more than 50,000 tickets on all nine legs of the world tour so far, it’s likely that the Music of the Spheres World Tour will surpass 10 million tickets.
The $1 billion gross and 10 million ticket thresholds are both unprecedented in Boxscore’s almost 40-year history. The obvious asterisk is unreported figures for Taylor Swift’s ongoing The Eras Tour, likely closer to $2 billion than one now that its own 48-date European leg has wrapped, and approaching 10 million tickets itself.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band are No. 2 on July’s Top Tours ranking, pulling in $65.4 million from 500,000 tickets over nine shows. The Boss also earns his chart rank from shows in Europe, specifically playing in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and others, before closing out the run with two shows at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Springsteen’s London dates grossed $25.2 million and sold 154,000 tickets, mirroring his No. 2 rank over on Top Boxscores. A double header at Friends Arena in Solna, Sweden followed with $9.7 million and 108,000 tickets, landing further down the list at No. 23.
Since kicking off in May, the ’24 European leg of Springsteen’s tour brought in $158.5 million and sold more than 1.2 million tickets over 22 concerts. Though he has wrapped overseas, The Boss made his way over the pond, launching another leg of U.S. shows last week and ensuring a return on the August recap.
Europe fills out the top four spots, with Travis Scott and P!nk at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. It was the first extended European tour for Scott, who was met with a well of pent-up demand. From June 28 through Aug. 4, he grossed $58.9 million and sold 520,000 tickets in the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Portugal, and more. It’s the most that a solo rapper has earned on tour outside of the United States.
Combined with the North American shows from autumn 2023 and winter 2024, the Utopia Circus Maximus Tour has brought in $154.7 million and sold 1.2 million tickets over 63 shows. Scott has a slate of shows in Latin America and Oceania before closing for good on Halloween in Auckland, New Zealand.
For P!nk’s part, the Summer Carnival Tour continued with a second leg of European stadiums. Reaching a monthly high at Amsterdam’s Johan Cruyff Arena, she totaled $46.8 million and 377,000 tickets during July. Since its launch last June, the entire tour has grossed $469.3 million and sold 3.6 million tickets – not including the Trustfall Tour, which interrupted the stadium run with a swing of North American arenas, adding $60.8 million and 257,000 tickets to Pink’s enormous post-pandemic return to the stage.
On Top Boxscores, Europe takes up the top six spots with engagements from Karol G and Metallica in addition to Coldplay and Springsteen. There’s two more in the top 10 (Luis Miguel and P!nk), and eight more on the chart, including The Killers with six shows at London’s O2 Arena and Ed Sheeran at Polsat Plus Arena in Gdansk, Poland.
On Top Stadiums, European venues make up seven of the 10 spots, including the entire top five. Madrid’s Estadio Santiago Bernabeu rules with $37.2 million and 309,000 tickets, thanks to two shows from Luis Miguel ($13.6 million on July 6-7) and four from Karol G ($23.6 million on July 20-23). The latter closed out her yearlong world tour at the chart-topping stadium, re-setting her own records among women in Latin music.
Stateside, Las Vegas dominates the biggest and smallest venue charts. Sphere is No. 1 among rooms with a capacity of 15,001 or more (excluding stadiums), while the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas is tops among venues with a cap of 2,500 or less.
A version of this story appears in the Aug. 31, 2024, issue of Billboard.
The Thicket is just a week away from release, and Billboard is exclusively sharing a clip featuring Metallica frontman James Hetfield. In the clip from Tubi Films’ adventure-thriller, Peter Dinklage’s character demands payment from Dr. Grace, as Hetfield’s character is seen at the table. An altercation between the two occur, with Hetfield left with his […]
Fleetwood Mac fans will soon have the chance to peruse Christine McVie’s treasures in a museum exhibition honoring the late legend — and if they like what they see, they may be able to take something home in an auction later on.
As announced exclusively by Billboard Thursday (Aug. 29), highlights of McVie’s personal collection will become available for people to see up close at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville starting Friday (Aug. 30) and running through Tuesday, Oct. 15. The day after the exhibition concludes, a two-day auction dubbed “Property From the Life and Career of Christine McVie” will take place at the same venue and online via Julien’s Auctions, marking the first time the items have been offered to the public.
More than 650 of the “Songbird” singer’s belongings will be available to bid on in the auction, including the Hammond XK-5 organ she played on tour with Fleetwood Mac (pictured above; estimated $6,000-$8,000), a Yamaha CLP-470PE digital piano from her London home ($3,000 – $5,000), a model KP-180-122 Leslie speaker in a red road case labeled “3rd Encore Christine’s Locker ($2,000 – $4,000), Tusk chord sheets with unknown handwritten lyrics ($800-$1,200) and two setlists annotated by McVie ($600-$800). Pieces of fine art and jewelry will also be for sale.
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Fleetwood Mac ‘Tusk’ chord sheets
Courtesy of Julien’s Auctions
The proceeds of the auction will benefit MusiCares as well as other charities in the U.K. “Christine McVie was a legendary artist and a beloved member of the MusiCares family, always showing deep compassion for those in the music community,” said the organization’s executive director, Laura Segura, in a statement. “The proceeds from this auction will continue her legacy of giving back, ensuring that musicians receive the support they need. Her love for music and for those who create it will continue to inspire us all.”
Julien’s Auctions CEO David Goodman added, “As one of the musical greats of her generation and of all time, the world loved Christine McVie for her perfect voice, her beautiful songs, and her brilliance that she produced throughout her extraordinary life and musical career that Julien’s is honored to represent in this exclusive auction celebration.”
“St. Cecilia” painting left in Christine McVie’s London home.
Courtesy of Julien’s Auctions
McVie died in November 2022 at the age of 79. A few months later, her cause of death was revealed to be a stroke.
At the time, Fleetwood Mac shared a band statement. “She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure,” wrote the group, which also consisted of Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. “She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life. We were so lucky to have a life with her.”
In October, Nicks said that the band likely wouldn’t continue performing in the absence of McVie. “You can’t replace her,” she told Vulture. “You just can’t. Without her, what is it? You know what I mean?”
“She was like my soul mate, my musical soul mate, and my best friend that I spent more time with than any of my other best friends outside of Fleetwood Mac,” she added at the time. “Christine was my best friend … Who am I going to look over to on the right and have them not be there behind that Hammond organ? When she died, I figured we really can’t go any further with this. There’s no reason to.”
Watch Julien’s video of the auction items below:
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Veteran punk rockers Bad Religion have cancelled a planned run of fall 2024 North American shows citing “unforeseen family circumstances.” The band announced the news on Wednesday 9August 28) in an Instagram post, writing, “Due to an unforeseen family circumstance, we are canceling our upcoming fall tour. We apologize for any disappointment and disruption this may cause. We appreciate your understanding.”
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At press time no additional information was available on the cause of the tour’s cancellation, with the band telling fans that ticket refunds will be available at point of purchase. The tour — the follow-up to an earlier run of U.S. gigs this year with Social Distortion — was slated to kick off on Sept. 17 in Stroudsburg, PA a the Sherman Theater and keep them on the road through an Oct. 19 gig in Sacramento, CA at Hard Rock Live.
The outing was also slated to hit Huntington (NY), Portland, Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto, Buffalo, Myrtle Beach (SC), Richmond (VA), Huntsville (AL), Nashville, Little Rock (AR), Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Davenport (IA), Sioux Falls (SD), Edmonton, Vancouver, Seattle, Spokane and Portland.
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The band whose only consistent member has been co-founder and singer Greg Graffin, issued their seventeenth studio album, Age of Unreason, in 2019, followed by the August 2020 release of their autobiography, Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion. That same year the group whose thoughtful punk rock rages often incorporate social and political themes were also scheduled to celebrate the band’s 40th anniversary with a tour that was pushed off for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
See Bad Religion’s announcement below.
Citing “unprecedented demand,” Oasis announced on Thursday (August 29) that they are adding three more shows to their Oasis Live ’25 World Tour reunion run in the UK. In an X post, the band revealed that they have tacked on a July 16 date at Heaton Park, as well as another show at Wembley Stadium on July 30 and a third night at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on August 12.
Earlier this week, the band led by siblings singer Liam and guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher announced that after 15 years apart they will play a series of 14 gigs in the UK next summer, news that sent longtime fans who had all but given up on any rapprochement between the famously battling brothers into a frenzy. Though the show count is now up to 17, following online speculation, the band threw cold water on reports that the reunion would also include festival gigs.
“Despite media speculation, Oasis will not be playing Glastonbury 2025 or any other festivals next year,” read a post on X on Wednesday. “The only way to see the band perform will be on their Oasis Live ’25 World Tour.” At press time the lineup of the band for the reunion shows had not yet been announced and it was unclear if they planned to record new music to accompany the shows.
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In other news, the band also announced on Thursday morning that the window for registration for a pre-sale ticket ballot had been extended due to “a last minute surge” in entries. Because the large number of confirmation emails are still being processed and sent out, the deadline to confirm entry has now been extended to 10 a.m. BST (5 a.m. ET) on Friday (August 30). Successful ballots holders will be contacted on Friday by 5 p.m. BST (noon ET) with pre-sale access information. At press time the ticket prices had not yet been announced.
The pre-sale for the shows is slated to kick off on Friday, followed by a general on-sale on Saturday (August 31).
The UK tour will now consist of the following shows:
July 4, 5 — Cardiff @ Principality Stadium
July 11, 12, 16, 19, 20 — Manchester @ Heaton Park
July 25, 26, 30 and August 2, 3 — London @ Wembley Stadium
August 8, 9, 12 — Edinburgh @ Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
August 16, 17 — Dublin @ Croke Park
The CIA says that the suspects in the alleged plot to attack Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour shows in Vienna, Austria were aiming to create a massive casualty event involving a “huge” number of victims. The information came during a briefing on Wednesday (August 28) from CIA deputy director David Cohen, who, according to the Associated Press, said that his agency discovered intelligence that helped to disrupt the planning and led to the arrests of the three young suspects.
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Cohen discussed the foiled plot during the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit in Maryland, noting that the CIA informed Austrian authorities of the plan that resulted in Swift cancelling three planned shows in Vienna earlier this month after officials allegedly found links between the suspects and the Islamic State group.
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“They were plotting to kill a huge number — tens of thousands of people at this concert, including I am sure many Americans — and were quite advanced in this,” Cohen said. “The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do.”
The New York Times reported that Cohen did not say how the CIA learned about the planned attack and that counterterrorism warnings don’t always get a lot of attention, but the quick work to foil the Vienna attack — which potentially saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives — was different. “I can tell you within my agency and others, there were people who thought that was a really good day for Langley,” he said, in reference to the location of the agency’s headquarters. “And not just for the Swifties in the workforce.”
Austrian concert promoter Barracuda Music announced on August 7 that the three sold-out Eras Tour gigs planned for Ernst Happel Stadium on August 8, 9 and 10 were cancelled due to an alleged terror plot aimed at disrupting the shows. According to Austrian authorities, the main suspect is an unnamed 19-year-old Austrian man who had reportedly been inspired by the Islamic State terror group. They said he planned to attack the estimated 30,000 Swifties expected to gather outside the stadium with knives or homemade explosives; the venue itself holds 65,0000 and more than 200,000 fans were anticipated for the shows.
During a raid of the main suspect’s home, police reportedly found chemical substances and other technical devices that were to be used in the attack. The main suspect’s lawyer has said that the allegations were “overacting at its best,” suggesting Austrian authorities were exaggerating the details in order to expand their surveillance powers. The AP noted that Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner, previously said that other intelligence agencies helped Austrian investigators, who cannot legally monitor text messages.
Swift’s Vienna shows were scheduled to be part of the penultimate run on the Eras Tour‘s European leg, and were followed by a five-night stint at London’s Wembley Stadium (August 15-20), which went off without incident. The singer opened up about the scary terror threat in a statement last week, writing, “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us.”
The cancellation of the shows left tens of thousands of Swifties — many of whom traveled from afar to attend the gigs — disappointed and upset, though in classic Swiftie fashion they rallied in the days after by combating fear with joy. After the shows were called off, the singer’s fans flooded the streets of Vienna for impromptu sing-alongs and spontaneous celebrations of their devotion to the pop star.
Authorities had previously said the main suspect confessed to a plan aimed at killing “as many people as possible” and that he had reportedly quit his regular job recently and “conspicuously changed his appearance and adapted to I.S. [Islamic State] propaganda.” Investigators also reportedly found I.S. and al-Qaida materials at the home of a 17-year-old suspect, who was said to have been hired in the week before the planned shows by a company that was to provide services to the stadium and was arrested by police special forces near the stadium. A third 18-year-old suspect has also been arrested, though none of the men have been charged yet and their names have not been made public per Austrian privacy rules.
Swift is currently on a brief hiatus before she is scheduled to pick up the final run of U.S. Eras dates on Oct. 18 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Ten long years have passed since Kelis last released an album of new material. That drought is nearing its conclusion.
“I’ve been recording my new record for a while now,” the “Milkshake” singer explains on a call from Nairobi, Kenya, a place she has admittedly fallen in love with.
“The issue is when I start, if I don’t continue momentum, then it’s like I’m a new person by the time I start up again and then I’m not interested in what I had already done,” she tells Rolling Stone AU/NZ. Feeling new, improved, “I start again. That happened a few times over the past years.”
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That won’t happen again. The R&B star admits she kept momentum going and she’s now “in a space where I’m the closest to being done that I’ve been, which is very good.”
How close? “The record is almost done. I would say I’m like a good 75-80% there.”
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The followup to 2014’s Food, recorded with Dave Sitek from TV On The Radio, her latest dish was mostly recorded on her farm, a 26-acre spot in Temecula, CA where she lives with her family.
That experience was “just so comfortable and it really made me feel like myself,” she explains. “I didn’t feel like I was having to step out of myself to create, which was really good.”
As a creative, “I’m an extremist,” she says with a laugh. “Either I’m traveling as far away as humanly possible or I don’t want to go absolutely anywhere and I want everything to be on the farm.”
In the days ahead, she’ll tick the first box. Kelis will deliver a keynote presentation at BIGSOUND 2024, the annual music industry conference and showcase extravaganza, presented in Brisbane, Australia.
“It’s a very Kelis record. I don’t know how, but it sounds like me. It’s right in line with who I am, and where I’ve been. I love this record because it feels like the honest progression of who I’ve been this whole time.” She continues, “that’s also sometimes why it takes me so long. I have to step away and live my life. Then I come back and I have something to say.”
Kelis had something to say in 2022 with the release of “Midnight Snacks,” continuing a foodie theme that has woven through her recording career and flourished when the Harlem-born artist completed training as a Le Corden Blue chef.
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Those talents took Kelis into the celebrity chef world, with multiple television cooking specials across Netflix, Cooking Channel, and Food Network, and the cookbook My Life on a Plate, inspired by her travels.
Kelis has landed seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100, with a career-best No. 3 for 2003’s “Milkshake”. Also, five of her albums have landed on the Billboard 200, including a top 10 appearance for 2006’s Kelis Was Here, won Brit, Q, and NME Awards, and been nominated for two Grammys.
A mother to three kids, Kelis, 45, feels “really content,” she tells this reporter. “Even in the midst of all the things that have happened. I’m really grateful. I’ve had a really great career and I’ve enjoyed every second of it and I’m in that next phase of my life right now and it’s fantastic. I feel really good.”
Don’t expect “a bunch of singles” from her next collection. “You’ve gotta put the thing on and let it play. It’s like kind of that vibe.” If it had to be pigeonholed, imagine “if Wu-Tang and Sade had a baby, that’s kind of where we’re at,” she reveals. “It’s not like how things are right now either, right?”
During a recent stop in Salt Lake City for his Beautifully Broken tour, Nashville native Jelly Roll (real name (real name Jason DeFord) turned an ordinary lemonade stand visit into an unforgettable experience for three young vendors.
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Instead of just purchasing a drink from the trio, the country star handed over nearly $700. Wendy Gardunio, the mother of one of the children, shared the experience on Facebook.
“My kid and her cousins wanted to do a lemonade stand. And they had a famous singer come and buy some lemonade. Who would have thought that we would run into Jelly Roll in West Valley? And for him to be so generous with giving them almost $700,” Gardunio wrote alongside photographs of the “Need a Favor” singer.
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This isn’t an isolated event—Jelly Roll frequently supports the communities he visits during his tours.
The rocker announced on Friday (Aug. 23) that Beautifully Broken, the follow-up to his hit album Whitsitt Chapel, is coming Oct. 11. All revenue from pre-sales through his website will go to several charities, including Wounded Warriors Project, Folds of Honor, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and Shatterproof.
Though a tracklist has not been revealed, according to the press release, his latest song, “I Am Not OK” (which he debuted on The Howard Stern Show) as well as “Liar,” “Winning Streak” and “Get By” — which serves as the 2024 college football season’s anthem — will all be included on the upcoming album, which is named after his headlining tour kicking off Aug. 27.
Jelly Roll released Whitsitt Chapel in June 2023. The album peaked at No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200, reached No. 2 on Top Country Albums and took the No. 1 spot on Top Rock Albums.
The star also nabbed 2024 Grammy nominations Best New Artist and Best Country duo/Group Performance for “Save Me,” his collaboration with Lainey Wilson, which peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Neil Young has opened up about the cancellation of Crazy Horse’s Love Earth tour, citing health concerns as the primary reason.
During a recent Zoom call with followers of his Neil Young Archives, Young shared the challenges that led to the difficult decision.
“I was doing great, and we were moving right along. Everybody was loving the shows. Then I just woke up one morning on the bus and I said, ‘I can’t do this. I gotta stop.’ It was like I felt sick when I thought of going on stage,” Young explained in a video that was shared to Reddit on Aug. 28.
“My body was telling me, ‘You gotta stop.’ So I listened to my body.”
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The cancellation, which was announced in late June, came after several band members, including Young, fell ill following their performance at Detroit’s Pine Knob.
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The band had to press pause on their first tour together in a decade. “We are still not fully recovered, so sadly our great tour will have a big unplanned break,” the band shared in a statement on Young’s official website at the time.
Young acknowledged the complexities involved in cancelling a tour, including the legal and logistical challenges.
“Then it gets into all the legal matters: ‘You got this, you got that, people bought tickets, they did this, they did that.’ I understand that. What matters to me is the art of playing, and the music. That’s what matters. That’s what people loved. That’s what they come to see. But if that’s not there, me going is not happening,” Young continued.
Despite the setback, Young remains hopeful for the future. “I’m starting to feel like I could do it again and that’s a great feeling. Not all of Crazy Horse — this happened to a couple of us, and we’re not all the way back. Crazy Horse will be back, God willing. And we’ll play more.”
In the meantime, fans can look forward to Young’s upcoming performance at this year’s Farm Aid, scheduled for Sept. 21 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Looking ahead, Young hinted at the possibility of a more intimate tour, focusing on smaller venues where he’s played before.
Metallica is mourning the loss of a dedicated fan who passed away during their concert in Edmonton, Canada, on Aug. 23.
The band took to social media on Aug. 28 to share a heartfelt tribute, remembering the fan, affectionately known as “Viking,” and expressing their sorrow over his passing.
In their post, Metallica wrote: “Friday night, August 23rd, in Edmonton, we lost a Metallica family member at the show. He died due to health conditions. Leaving the earthly body and onto the next adventure. Very sad when death happens, but we’re touched that he spent some of his final, hopefully joyful, time with us.”
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They continued, “Our condolences to the family and friends of Lorne ‘Viking.’ With Love and Respect, Metallica.”
A friend of Lorne’s shared more about the tragic event in a Metallica fan group on Facebook, describing how he was taken from the Snake Pit area on a stretcher and received urgent medical care. The friend remembered Lorne as “the kindest soul” and added, “We all called him Viking. He will be missed terribly! Please crank up a Metallica song, and raise a glass for the Viking.”
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Metallica is currently in the midst of their M72 World Tour, which supports their 2023 album, 72 Seasons. The tour, featuring back-to-back performances in each city, includes opening acts like Mammoth WVH, Pantera, Ice Nine Kills, and Five Finger Death Punch. The band’s next performances are set for Aug. 28 and Sept. 1 in Seattle, Washington.
Metallica’s career has been marked by consistent success on the Billboard charts, with their latest album, 72 Seasons, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, their seventh leader.
The band has also made a lasting impact on the Billboard Hot 100 with iconic tracks like “Enter Sandman” and “Nothing Else Matters,” and were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.