Metallica to Join Black Keys and Elton John for Festival d'ete de Quebec

Metallica is the latest act to sign on for Quebec City's celebrated Festival d'ete de Quebec, the citywide event which takes place July 7-17 in la belle province.

"This is a feat we've been dreaming of," the festival's programming director Dominique Goulet said in a statement on Wednesday, April 20. "This has got to be the band that we get the most requests for! For years, Festival fans have been asking us for Metallica and we were finally able to line up their free dates with our schedule."

James Hetfield and crew will be taking over the massive stage overlooking the historic Plains of Abraham on July 16. Playing the Canadian heritage site, the site of a decisive battle between French and British imperial armies in 1759, has been a longtime goal for the heavy metal outfit.

"It's on our 'to do list,'" Hetfield said in a 2009 interview.

While Metallica's thundering riffs should satisfy the hard rocking bunch, Festival d'ete de Quebec has something to offer for most musical taste, including the Black Keys, Girl Talk and headliner Sir Elton John, with more artists to be announced in the coming weeks.

Passes for the festival -- which featured acts like Santana and Arcade Fire last year -- will go on sale online April 30 and will also be available through METRO supermarkets in Quebec. Prices have not been revealed yet -- which is just as well, since many are still having a hard time wrapping their mind around Metallica's Plains of Abraham debut.

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