Eric Church and Metallica will headline "ATLive," a weekend concert series coming to Atlanta in November.
Amy Harris/Invision/AP; KGC-138/STAR MAX/IPx/APThe Atlanta weekend concert series “ATLive” returns in November with a night dedicated to country and a night dedicated to hard rock. George Strait, Eric Church and singer-songwriter Caitlyn Smith will perform at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday, November 5th, while Metallica, Cage the Elephant, and Greta Van Fleet take the stage on Saturday, November 6th.
Strait and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich announced the concerts in a promotional video. “Hello, Atlanta. It’s been a while,” Strait says, before Ulrich suggests the domed stadium will have to open its retractable roof to accommodate the din. Tickets for each night of ATLive go on sale Friday, July 16th, at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster.
This marks the second installment of the concert weekend, produced by AMB Sports and Entertainment and presented by Mercedes-EQ. In 2019, artists like Church, Keith Urban, and Luke Combs topped an all-country bill. Strait played the stadium that same year too, with Chris Stapleton in support.
The 2021 ATLive also features a charitable component: Metallica’s All Within My Hands organization and the Military Warriors Support Foundation, a favorite charity of Strait’s that provides housing for wounded U.S. veterans, will receive a portion of the proceeds.
Strait retired from regular touring in 2014, but continues to play regular concerts in Las Vegas. His first Strait to Vegas shows since the onset of the pandemic are set for August 13th and 14th at the city’s T-Mobile Arena. Church, meanwhile, will kick off his Gather Again arena tour in September in Kentucky.
Metallica is gearing up for the 30th anniversary of their blockbuster Black Album, which arrives in September with The Blacklist, a re-creation of the LP by artists like Miley Cyrus, Jason Isbell, Ghost, and Royal Blood.
Sharleen Spiteri joined BBC Radio 2’s The Sara Cox Breakfast Show ahead of Texas taking the stage to launch the main live music programme at Radio 2 in the Park in Stirling.
Checking in from rehearsals, the Texas frontwoman spoke about getting ready for the band’s opening performance at City Park. Radio 2’s annual flagship festival takes place there from 11 to 13 September 2026. "I’m match fit because I’ve had a couple of days’ rehearsals," Spiteri said. "We’re kicking the whole weekend off, which we’re very much looking forward to, so everybody’s got to get ready to party."
Before the live acts take over, Friday’s DJ Pre-Party gets the weekend started with Radio 2 favourites Sara Cox, DJ Spoony, Gary Davies, Michelle Visage, and Rylan behind the decks.
Jo Whiley helped set the mood with a special programme from Stirling’s Tolbooth venue. Working with BBC Introducing Scotland, the broadcast put the spotlight on Scotland’s emerging music scene through performances and conversations with Fright Years, Alice Faye, and James Emmanuel.
Fright Years, a four member band from Edinburgh, played "Never Been Wrong" and offered their take on Simple Minds’ "Waterfront." Glasgow singer and songwriter Alice Faye, the BBC Introducing in Scotland 2026 winner, paired "Some Brief Encounter" with a rendition of Lulu’s arrangement of "I Started a Joke." James Emmanuel, who was born in Nigeria and now lives in Edinburgh, sang "Brothers & Sisters" before taking on Chaka Khan’s "I’m Every Woman."
"We’re all about celebrating BBC Introducing and all the music that’s come out of Scotland," Whiley told listeners. "It's about celebrating the local music scene and the incredibly important work that BBC Introducing does to support independent, up-and-coming artists."
Joining the conversation were Stephanie Cheape, presenter of BBC Introducing in Scotland, Tara McLoughlin, venue manager for Stirling Council, and student radio presenters representing the University of Stirling’s Air3 Radio.
Listeners can catch the complete interviews and live performances from the weekend’s programmes on BBC Sounds.
