The “Big Four”, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, are bringing their historic European tour to the global stage by beaming the event via satellite to movie theaters around the world in a special HD cinematic event. These four legendary acts broke out of the underground thrash movement in the 1980’s to dominate the metal world, selling millions of records and packing arenas across the globe. Despite huge demand, these musical giants have never shared the same stage until now.
The legendary June 22nd concert from the tour’s stop of the Sonisphere Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria will air the same day in over 450 theaters in more than 140 markets in the U.S., as well as beamed into theaters in Europe, Canada and Latin America. Delayed screenings are planned in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Tickets for The Big Four: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax go on sale starting today, Friday, May 21st, in the U.S. and internationally starting Friday, May 28th at participating theater box offices and at www.thebigfourlive.com, where fans can also view the event cinema trailer.
In December 2009, the bands announced that they would be joining forces to take part in the traveling Sonisphere Festival for only seven shows across Europe. Now, this one-time only event from the Sofia show makes it possible for fans far and wide to participate in what otherwise is a very limited run of dates. The high-definition concert presentation will memorialize the event and the impact will be amplified globally with the cinema screenings, making the dreams of fans around the world over become a reality.
Lars Ulrich of Metallica says of this historic announcement, "Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal's Big Four would not only still be around, be more popular than ever, playing shows together at stadiums all over Europe, and on top of that, coming to a movie theater near you in High Definition (for better or worse??!!). Bring it on!"
Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian says “Damn, as if this Big Four tour wasn't exciting enough now we get to be on the big screen worldwide! Metal at the movies, two big horns up! It is unbelievably gratifying that this means so much to the metal community around the globe. Get your tix, grab some popcorn and get ready to bang your head!”
Declares Slayer’s Kerry King, “I can’t believe someone didn’t make this happen 15 years ago! The fans finally get what they want. I think it’s awesome!”
Says Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine, “The magnitude of this event hasn't really sunk in yet, and I am thrilled to know that people around the planet will be able to walk into a movie theater and experience the greatest line up of Heavy Metal in the history of the world!”
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The Big Four: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax digital cinema event is distributed globally by New York-based BY Experience.
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