Metallica escapes from the studio for live shows

Metallica, whose members have been busy working on the follow-up to 2003's "St. Anger," will take a break from the recording studio to perform at some summer festivals.

So far, the group has laid out plans to hit the stage at five June festivals in Europe, details on which are included below.
"Please understand that we're making this up as we go along," the group wrote in a message posted at its website. "We wanna keep you as in the loop as possible, but this s--- is literally happening as we are typing, so please watch this space for more info as we get it regarding support acts, potential additional dates, change of something or other not expected as these VERY words are being typed, etc."

Dubbed "Escape from the Studio '06," the upcoming tour takes its name from the band's similar 1995 outing, which came in the midst of recording sessions for 1996's "Load."

"We had such a great time when we did this back in the day in '95, which was ... eh, like we had planned for '06, a year dedicated to nothing but writing and recording," the group's message reads. "Oh well, how the best laid plans can change. So when we were asked, we figured why not do it again!!! Escape from the studio once more and spend our summer vacation hanging out at the coolest live music festivals on the planet."

June 2006
3 - Nurburgring, Germany - Rock Am Ring Festival
4 - Nurnberg, Germany - Rock Im Park Festival
8 - Arnhem, Holland - Gelredome
10 - Donington, United Kingdom - Download Festival
11 - Dublin, Ireland - Download Festival