Metallica has posted a tribute to a fan who died during their concert in Edmonton, Alberta, on Friday night. The band posted a photo of the fan, known as “Viking,” on its social media pages along with a heartfelt statement in his honor.
“On Friday night, August 23rd, in Edmonton, we lost a member of the Metallica family during a concert,” the band wrote. “He passed away due to health conditions. He left this earthly body and moved on to the next adventure. It is very sad when a death occurs, but we are touched that he spent some of his last, hopefully happy, time with us. Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Lorne “Viking”. With love and respect, Metallica.”
Metallica was performing at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on Friday when Lorne died during the show. A friend of his shared in his Facebook fan group that he “suffered a medical issue and was taken out of the snake pit on a stretcher while the paramedics performed aggressive CPR.” The “snake pit” is the VIP area at the front of Metallica concerts, which is notably inspired by restaurant chefs’ tables.
Metallica is currently in the midst of their M72 world tour in support of their 2023 album, 72 seasonsLead singer James Hetfield made his vision for the album clear when the band released its first single, “Lux Æterna.”
“72 seasons “The first 18 years of our lives shape our true or false selves,” he said in a statement. “The notion that our parents told us about ‘who we are.’ There’s probably a typology of what kind of personality we have. I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how they influence our perception of the world today. So much of our adult experience is a reenactment or reaction to those childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or freedom from those constraints that we carry.”
Last month, Metallica announced the revamp of its Helping Hands concert and auction. The band will perform a benefit concert on December 13 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles with an as-yet-unrevealed lineup of guest stars hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, with proceeds going to Helping Hands.
Metallica hosted the last Helping Hands concert and auction in December 2022, raising $3 million that went directly to the organization’s efforts to support workforce education, disaster relief, and hunger relief. The final show featured appearances by Robert Downey Jr., Tony Hawk, and St. Vincent. Greta Van Fleet also performed.
