Metallica Return to the Stage With Flea

"We have this phrase in Metallica land, which is 'no-brainer,'" drummer Lars Ulrich told Spinner backstage of why the band returned to the stage after a near four-year absence at a benefit for the Silver Lake Conservatory, a music school for kids, spearheaded by Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea. "It's for Flea and it's for inner-city, underprivileged kids who need access to instruments and to be around musical education," he expounded.

Flea, who is presently teaching at the school once a week, has seen the support in the music industry rise -- from having Tracy Chapman play the first benefit, to Patti Smith -- and saw the biggest event yet for the school on Wednesday night. "We keep getting more intense," Flea told Spinner. "Tracy, Patti's pretty intense and Metallica's the most intense. We're gonna have God himself. Next year, Jesus is gonna come back," he joked.

"It's just really nice of them to say they'll do it and it's really f---ing cool," he continued. "I'm grateful to them and the whole thing is awesome. The school just keeps gathering momentum from things like this."

For the 2,000 or so fans who forked over $200 a ticket to see Metallica in the intimate setting, they certainly got what they paid for. The band took the stage at 9:30pm to a thundering ovation, one that wasn't lost on singer James Hetfield. "It's great to hear that again," he said. "It's been a long time since we played live." As the band bulldozed their way through a 15-song set, little rust was apparent. Ulrich, however, admitted to Spinner beforehand that there was one song the band had to learn: 'Fight Fire With Fire,' which featured guest star Flea.

"It just seemed like he should come up and play," Ulrich said. "It's his favorite Metallica song."