Metallica's longtime manager Cliff Burnstein is a wise man. He plans to take advantage of the weakened Euro by sending the band to Europe to tour again in 2012, despite the fact that 'Tallica already toured the continent rather extensively in 2011.
The embattled Euro has been nabbing its fair share of press lately, and Burnstein is smart enough to use that to his band's advantage. He's going to cash in now.
Burnstein told The Wall Street Journal that "I'm not an economist, but I have a degree, so it helps. You have to ask yourself, 'What's the best time to be doing what, when and where?' Over the next few years, the dollar will be stronger and the euro weaker, and if that's the case, I want to take advantage of that by playing more of these European shows now, because they will be more profitable for us."
That's exactly the job of a manager: to guide the band's decisions to generate the most revenue at the right time. Burnstein also likened the band to a major soft drink, in terms of marketability. He said, "We're a U.S. export the same way Coca-Cola is. We look for the best markets to go to. Right now, Indonesia is on my watch list."
Metallica are scheduled to play the Download Festival in England in June, where they will perform the self-titled 'Black' album from back to front. They have also booked other European festival dates through the summer.
Metallica will be performing 'The Black Album' at the following shows:
May 23 - Oslo, Norway - Vallehovin
June 01 - Nürnberg, Germany - Rock Im Park
June 02 - Nürburgring, Germany - Rock Am Ring
June 06 - Horsens, Denmark - State Prison
June 09 - Donington, England - Download
June 10 - Nickelsdorf, Austria - Nova Rock