Metallica Cancels South American Tour

Veteran hard rock quartet Metallica has canceled its South American tour, which was due to kick off tomorrow (Oct. 25) in Buenos Aires. In a statement posted on the band's official Web site, the cancellation is blamed on exhaustion and injury.

"We've been going non-stop for the last 18 months with recording 'St. Anger,' press, touring, and all the stuff that goes with that, and honestly, we're fried," reads the post. "To top it off, [drummer] Lars [Ulrich] has a rotator cuff injury that dates back to the 'Black' album touring days and it's flared up again in the last couple of weeks."

The band was also slated to play Santiago, Chile, on Tuesday, Rio de Janiero, Brazil on Oct. 30 and Sao Paulo, Brazil on Nov. 1. The schedule resumes Nov. 6 with the first of six Japanese dates. There are no current plans to reschedule the South American concerts; refunds are available at point of purchase.

Guitarist Kirk Hammett said in a statement, "This is the first time in our 22-year history that Metallica have cancelled a tour, and we are beyond disappointed. Our decision was not an easy one, but it became obvious to all four of us that if we don't take care of ourselves now, we'll be no good to anyone in the future."

"St. Anger" (Elektra) debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 in June and has sold 1.5 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.