It's only five days until the big Metallica show at U.S. Bank Stadium, and tickets – which sold out in 10 minutes – are still going for more than twice face value on resale sites such as Stubhub and the Vikings' own Atlanta-based ticketing partner PrimeSport. We reported on the questionable shortage of seats around the band's only show of summer in our ticket-scalping report last month. It's likely resale prices will come down in the upcoming days, but probably not by a whole lot.
Fans still have a few alternative options to get a Metallica fix this week even without splurging on a seat to Saturday's concert. Here are three:
*Listen to the show live via Pandora: The Oakland, Calif.-based streaming service has only livestreamed two other major concerts before (Mumford & Sons and Jack White), and will do so again Saturday starting at 9 p.m., which is the band's presumed set time after opening sets by Avenged Sevenfold and Volbeat. The show will also replay afterward. Here's the link to the special coverage: http://pdora.co/metallicalive.
In a press release to promote the streaming, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said, "We love being invited to the opening party of new buildings, so when the opportunity to break in the new U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis presented itself, we of course jumped at the chance. Thanks to our friends at Pandora, if you can't make it to Minneapolis, you'll still be able to partake in the festivities."
*Catch the tribute band One at First Avenue: Minneapolis's own reputable all-Metallica cover band, which has been mastering "Puppets" and slaying "Seek & Destroy" since 2008, is heading up the 93X-sponsored "One Night Before" tribute concert on Friday night. Tickets are only $10 and are available through eTix.com. Metallica itself played First Ave on the "Ride the Lightning" tour in 1985 with W.A.S.P. and Armored Saint, and the band returned there in 2004 to sign copies of its coffee-table book in 7th Street Entry.
*Hit the after-party at the Triple Rock: Local heavy-hitter bands Late-Night Fights, Murzik, Former Worlds and Deephaven are each promising to play Metallica tunes in their sets later on Saturday at the West Bank punk bar, which is about a 20-minute walk from U.S. Bank Stadium (until the new pedestrian bridge is built). Cover will only be $5.
