French Canadians have always had a special relationship with heavy music. From Jonquière thrash heroes Voivod to Montreal death metal stalwarts Cryptopsy, some of Canada’s premiere heavy music has come out of la belle province. Quebec City, in particular, is a popular tour stop for world class heavy metal bands, including shred godfathers Metallica. The legendary Los Angeles four-piece have melted faces in Quebec City seven times since 1989, fostering one of the band’s most loyal followings in any single city worldwide. It’s a natural fit, then, that Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammett, and Trujillo will be returning to Quebec City for a pair of shows that mark both the end of an era, and the beginning of a new chapter. On September 14th, Metallica will play the final show ever at Quebec’s Colisee Pepsi, and on they’ll play the inaugural show at the city’s new Centre Videotron on September 16th.
In an official statement on the band’s website, Metallica told fans how important Quebec has been to the band. “Always one of our favorite places to visit, Quebec City also has a long history of being the home to some of the most rabid 'Tallica fans anywhere,” the statement reads. “It only seems fitting that we share this special passing of the torch with you!” Fans in attendance on the 14th and the 16th will be treated to two very different shows, including different staging, different setlists, and different opening bands—Gojira will open the show at Colisee Pepsi, and Baroness will open the show at Centre Videotron.
As if witnessing music history wasn’t enough, fans at the Metallica show at Centre Videotron on September 16th will observe beer-making history, too. Budweiser will be enhancing a special batch just as Metallica hit the stage, aiming to capture the essence of the band’s heavy riffs in the beer itself. That’s right—a tank of Budweiser will be hooked up to a set of speakers that will blast the concert audio directly into the beer. After the batch is infused with the frequencies of rock’n’roll, limited edition cans will be available for purchase in Quebec after the concert, so you can see how the beer equivalent of a 10-minute drum solo tastes. Curious as to how they’re going to pull this off? A tailgate experience will be happening before the show, so fans can check out Budweiser’s setup before heading into the venue.
Colisee Pepsi has been host to countless monumental musical moments since opening in 1949, but there’s no better choice for passing the torch than Metallica. On September 16th, Centre Videotron will be christened “the house that riffs built.”
