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."
Posted by Steve Baltin on May 15th 2008 1:00PM
Filed under: News, Exclusive
Reader Comments(1 of 1)
FACEMONKEY429at 6-12-2008
HEY AND WHAT'S HAPPENING. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE HELL HAS THE BAND BEEN UP TO BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT THEY HAVE FELL OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH, FANS ARE WONDERING WHERE IN THE HELL IS METALLICA. AFTER FILMING "SOME KIND OF MONSTER" WE THE FANS LEARNED THAT BASSIST JASON NEWSTED LEFT THE BAND AND THAT JAMES HETFIELD HAD CHECKED HIMSELF INTO REHAB FOR ALCOHOLISM, BUT AFTER JAMES RETURNED TO THE BAND THEY HAD TO GO THROUGH THERAPY BECAUSE JAMES AND LARS ULRICH COULD NOT SEEM TO FIND INNER PEACE TO FINISH THE "ST. ANGER " ALBUM AND IT SEEMED THAT THE BAND WAS DESTINED TO IMPLODE. SO AFTER COMING OUT OF THERAPY OR COUNSELING THE BAND SEARCHED FOR A BASSIST TO REPLACE JASON NEWSTED AND AFTER JAMMING OUT WITH A BUNCH OF BASSISTS(WHO HAPPENED TO BE AVID FANS) THEY PICKED FORMER OZZIE OSBOURNE BASSIST ROBERT TRUJILLO AND OFFERED HIM AN ASSLOAD OF MONEY TO JOIN THE BAND, SO ONCE THEY ACCOMPLISHED THIS FEAT THEY WENT ON TOUR TO PROMOTE THE "ST. ANGER" ALBUM. I WENT OUT AND BOUGHT THIS CD ALONG WITH A FEW OF THEIR OLDER CD'S AND I JAM TO THESE CDS ALL THE TIMES BUT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THEY ARE IN THE STUDIO TRYING TO COME OUT WITH A NEW ALBUM BECAUSE THEIR FANS WANT TO KNOW IF THEY ARE STILL ON TOUR OR ON VACATION BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN KNOWN TO BE ON TOUR FOR A LEAST A YEAR AND AFTER THAT BE ON VACATION UNTIL THERE'S A NEWBORN ADDED TO THE BANDS KID LIST. IF YOU COULD PLEASE PASS THIS ONTO THE BAND BECAUSE THEIR FANS ARE CHOMPING AT THE BIT FOR SOME NEW METALLICA, AND TELL THEM TO DROP ME A LINE AT FACEMONKEY429@AOL.COM AND HIT ME UP BECAUSE I'M TIRED OF SEARCHING THE WEB, MTV, AND MY LOCAL ROCK STATION FOR SOME INFORMATION ON THE BAND AND WHAT THEY ARE UP TO IN THE STUDIO.