Metallica Plot Acoustic Live Album for Charity

Earlier this month, Metallica played a rare acoustic benefit concert in San Francisco to raise money for their nonprofit All Within My Hands Foundation. They played a few hits that translated well to acoustic instruments (“Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters”), reworked some classics to fit the format (“Disposable Heroes”) and attempted some unusual covers (Blue Öyster Cult’s “Veteran of the Psychic Wars” and Nazareth’s “Please Don’t Judas Me”). In an effort to raise more money for the charity, which recently donated $100,000 to relief efforts for fighting the California wildfires, they’re releasing the concert as an album.

The double-LP release, Helping Hands ”¦ Live & Acoustic at the Masonic, will officially come out on February 1st but, as part of Giving Tuesday, it’s available for preorder now. It features two colored LPs on heavyweight 140-gram vinyl and a download card. All net proceeds go to the All Within My Hands Foundation. It will also be available at independent record stores and digitally next year.

The band launched the charity last year with an eye toward fighting hunger and strengthening communities with workforce education. The concert, which included an auction, helped raise $1.3 million for the cause, and the band will be distributing the money to the Feeding Americaand the American Association of Community Colleges. As the charity is self-managed and funded, 100 percent of donations go to other organizations that the Foundation supports.

The group is also offering a limited-edition etched glass, with artist Pushead’s imagery for their “One” single on it, as part of Giving Tuesday. All net proceeds go to the foundation.

Earlier this year, Metallica hosted a “Day of Service,” encouraging fans to pitch in at local food banks. Lars Ulrich wrote an essay for Rolling Stone about what he learned from the experience. “I met [Metallica fan] Robert Alvarez at the Metallica Day of Service event here at the San Francisco”“Marin Food Bank,” he wrote. “He told me about how two of the most important elements of his life collided that day. He’s been volunteering there for 13 years to take care of his immediate community and family members and on top of that has every single Metallica record and calls himself a hardcore fan.

“To me, he exemplifies what this whole effort is about: giving our fans a music-based platform to connect with other members of their local community around volunteer work, giving back and sharing in the good fortune I mentioned earlier ”¦ the good fortune and incredible opportunities that most of us in the western world take for granted.”

Helping Hands”¦Live & Acoustic at The Masonic vinyl track list:

Side A

1. “Disposable Heroes”
2. “When A Blind Man Cries”
3. “The Unforgiven”

Side B

1. “Please Don’t Judas Me”
2. “Turn the Page”

Side C

1. “Bleeding Me”
2. “Veteran of the Psychic Wars”
3. “Nothing Else Matters”

Side D

1. “All Within My Hands”
2. “Enter Sandman”
3. “The Four Horsemen”
4. “Hardwired”