Metallica, Eric Church, George Strait to Play Atlanta’s ‘ATLive’ Weekend

The Atlanta weekend concert series “ATLive” returns in November with a night dedicated to country and a night dedicated to hard rock. George Strait, Eric Church and singer-songwriter Caitlyn Smith will perform at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday, November 5th, while Metallica, Cage the Elephant, and Greta Van Fleet take the stage on Saturday, November 6th.

Strait and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich announced the concerts in a promotional video. “Hello, Atlanta. It’s been a while,” Strait says, before Ulrich suggests the domed stadium will have to open its retractable roof to accommodate the din. Tickets for each night of ATLive go on sale Friday, July 16th, at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster.

This marks the second installment of the concert weekend, produced by AMB Sports and Entertainment and presented by Mercedes-EQ. In 2019, artists like Church, Keith Urban, and Luke Combs topped an all-country bill. Strait played the stadium that same year too, with Chris Stapleton in support.

The 2021 ATLive also features a charitable component: Metallica’s All Within My Hands organization and the Military Warriors Support Foundation, a favorite charity of Strait’s that provides housing for wounded U.S. veterans, will receive a portion of the proceeds.

Strait retired from regular touring in 2014, but continues to play regular concerts in Las Vegas. His first Strait to Vegas shows since the onset of the pandemic are set for August 13th and 14th at the city’s T-Mobile Arena. Church, meanwhile, will kick off his Gather Again arena tour in September in Kentucky.

Metallica is gearing up for the 30th anniversary of their blockbuster Black Album, which arrives in September with The Blacklist, a re-creation of the LP by artists like Miley Cyrus, Jason Isbell, Ghost, and Royal Blood.