Metallica started 2013 in a big way by revealing that they would be staging their second annual Orion Music + More Festival in Detroit on June 8 and 9. Now, the band has unveiled the bands that will join them at the two-day extravaganza. Among the acts sharing the stage with Metallica will be Red Hot Chili Peppers, Deftones, Rise Against and more.
The numbers are in for the highest grossing touring acts of 2012, and there are a few surprises peppered into the list. What isn't surprising, however, is that Metallica were the biggest draw of any hard rock act in 2012, followed closely by bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nickelback.
It’s been nearly 25 years since Def Leppard hit their commercial peak with the $12-million-selling ‘Hysteria’ album, but they can still pack ‘em in on the road. In fact, the veteran rockers’ latest run of dates — a package tour with fellow classic rock legends Heart — was the top-grossing draw of the last three months.
They faced some pretty stiff competition for concert dollars, too; with an overall gross of $14.5 million, the Def Leppard/Heart lineup bested the latest tours from the Red Hot Chili Peppers (in second place with $9.2 million) and Tim McGraw (in third with $7.4 million).
He’s been one of the most sought-after producers in rock for 25 years — and now that he’s also co-chairman of Columbia Records, Rick Rubin is also one of the busiest, with his hands in a dizzying list of current and upcoming projects.
Rubin discussed a number of those albums during a recent Billboard interview, conducted to celebrate the huge success of Columbia artist Adele’s new album, ’21′ (which, yes, Rubin co-produced). Up next on the schedule is the latest Red Hot Chili Peppers release, which he describes as a “Red Hot Chili Peppers that you’ve never heard before.”
