Aftershock Festival, With Metallica + MCR, Rescheduled for 2021

The Aftershock Festival has been added to the growing list of music events shifting their focus to 2021. Danny Wimmer Presents announced that the 2020 festival, scheduled for Oct. 9-11 at Sacramento’s Discovery Park, will now be moved to Oct. 7-10, 2021. The previously announced headliners Metallica and My Chemical Romance will remain when the 2021 edition happens.

In a statement, Danny Wimmer Presents revealed:

After all the harm caused by COVID-19, there is nothing that we wanted more than to be celebrating Aftershock with you this October at Discovery Park for what was going to be a monumental weekend. We, the artists, and Sacramento County all thought we had a shot at being the first post-COVID festival to happen. That really would have been incredible. We waited as long as we could but, unfortunately, the recent spike of cases now requires that we reschedule this year’s sold-out Aftershock to 2021.
As always, thank you so much for your patience. Please know that every decision we made for 2020, and will make for 2021, is with you, our fans and friends, at the top of our minds. We truly hope to see you in 2021. The world needs live music to return so we can feel connected once again, and we can’t wait to bring back the biggest rock experience on the West Coast.

Metallica and My Chemical Romance were confirmed for the 2020 sold-out event, but the rest of the lineup had not been announced. As previously planned, Metallica will headline the opening and closing nights of the festival with two unique sets. Plus there will be a fourth night added to the 2021 festivities. The remaining lineup is expected to be revealed in October.

Metallica stated, “Everyone in the Metallica camp is beyond bummed that we can’t come connect with all you incredible music fans in Sacramento and the surrounding area this October which, as you know, is just up Interstate 80 from where we are based. But obviously your health and safety, as well as that of everybody working the festival, and our crew is paramount. So, if that means we have to wait until the pandemic is contained to rock out with you all, that’s what we’ll have to do.”

They continued, “We’re counting the days until we can see you in October 2021 and look forward to joining our brothers in My Chemical Romance and all the other great artists (to be announced) for an incredible weekend of music, good vibes, and plenty of aftershocks! See you in Sacramento at Aftershock 2021. Until then, hoping you all stay safe and sound and take care of each other. Much love.”

My Chemical Romance added, “It is a bittersweet moment looking at the 2020 calendar and watching all the incredible experiences we planned on sharing with each other and our fans this year slowly slip away. However, knowing that the world is historically changing for the better and that those experiences are simply postponed until next year for the safety of all involved, and not canceled, is a comforting and welcomed feeling. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this terrible pandemic and we support every effort to keep every human being safe and healthy. We look forward to being part of Aftershock 2021 in Sacramento, California on the weekend of October 7-10 with Metallica and so many other amazing bands. We are counting the minutes until we can see you all again, but until then please: Stay Safe, Stay Sane, Be Kind, and Keep the Faith. XO.”

Those who purchased Aftershock 2020 passes will receive an email with their options concerning those tickets on Monday (July 27). For those who decide to defer their tickets to 2021, the newly added fourth night of the festival will be included for free. More details can be found at AftershockFestival.com.