LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville's Louder than Life festival just got a little bit quieter. This year's headlining act, Metallica, announced it was cancelling its appearance at the festival so that lead singer James Hetfield could focus on his health. Louder Than Life is scheduled for September 18-20, 2020.

Here is the band's announcement on Facebook:

Show promoter, Danny Wimmer released a statement shortly after the band's announcement. He said, "Of course, we are all disappointed that Metallica won’t be playing Louder Than Life. But really, when you stop and think about it, I am nothing but proud and supportive of James. Let’s be straight – we have lost a lot of great people recently including Chester, Chris, Keith and Scott. Something needs to change. As a rock community, we have to support those that are going to take a stand. And that is exactly what James is doing. He is changing his life’s direction to a better place and we should all find our own strength in honor of his courage."