Metallica heads to John Paul Jones with Lamb of God

Metallica When: 7 p.m. Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena (Charlottesville). Lamb of God opens. Tickets: $51.50-$71.50 Info: http://www.johnpauljonesarena.com or (888) 575-8497 The latest: Newly minted members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, touted as the fourth-highest-selling artist in SoundScan history with more than 50 million records sold in the U.S. since 1991, boast their own "Guitar Hero" installment and winners of a Best Metal Performance Grammy in February. Think it has been a good year for Metallica? The hard rockers, whose double-bass drum assault from Lars Ulrich and twin guitar sizzles from James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett have rarely come up for air since the early'80s, have been anchored by bassist Rob Trujillo since 2003. His arrival seems to have steadied the band, which released its most robust album in years with last fall's "Death Magnetic." Sound bite: Richmond's metal whiz, Lamb of God, is opening the show. Metallica specifically tapped the band to open the 25 dates on this run.