Granted, the Chicago alt-rock boom of the ’90s was a while ago now, but calling a band with a certified gold record a “local” act seems like a bit of a misnomer. Sure, Local H is a “local band” in the sense that it’s a band with the word “local” in its name, but it’s not a local band in the sense that its 1996 hit “Bound For The Floor” has been used as the soundtrack for motorcycle crash montages on America’s Funniest Home Videos. That’s an entire nation of uncles breaking femurs on their Yamahas, thanks.
Regardless, Local H has won a contest looking for a “local” band to open for Metallica on a string of dates on its upcoming WorldWired tour. Calling upon the enthusiastic fan base it’s acquired through decades of touring, Local H beat out Dallas band Mothership for the spot with 22.62 percent of total votes, which were calculated through polls on the websites of radio stations in Dallas, Chicago, San Antonio, and St. Louis.
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich acknowledged the ambiguity of the distinction on Chicago classic-rock station 97.9 The Loop this morning, saying, “I know that they are obviously local hometown heroes in Chicago and Local H has obviously been on my radar on and off for 20 years, so to have them come and join this summer at our stadium run and play five shows is gonna be awesome.” So basically, anything that’s not a stadium-level band is local as far as Metallica is concerned—either that, or Local H has gamed the system quite admirably. Regardless, it should have plenty of material to draw from on its five-city opening stint, considering it’s released eight studio albums in its nearly 30 years of existence.
All snark aside, Local H seems overjoyed at the win, writing in a post on Facebook, “It’s not always easy to be in this band, and sometimes you feel like you just can’t catch a break, but the way you all came through for us has made us truly humbled. We’re only here because of you and we wish we could fully express the depth of our gratitude.” You can see Local H’s mini-tour with Metallica—which appropriately ends with a date at Chicago’s Soldier Field—below, and see the band’s upcoming solo tour dates on its website.
Metallica WorldWired Tour with Local H
05/19 –Gillette Stadium—Foxborough, MA
06/04 – Busch Stadium—St. Louis, MO (also with Volbeat)
06/14 – Alamodome—San Antonio, TX
06/16 – AT&T Stadium—Dallas, TX
06/18 – Soldier Field—Chicago, IL