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“That tour was just incredible for us. Soldout stadiums, we had such a good time, so much fun. Really, it was amazing. Then, literally two days after we got home, we got the message.”
You can practically hear Robert Trujillo shaking his head in disbelief as he recounts the moment that Metallica found out James Hetfield was returning to rehab. It was in September 2019, a matter of days after the band had just pulled off two of the most epic shows in their near-40-year history: S&M2, a spectacular double-header of Metallica gigs backed by the San Francisco Symphony, taking place over two nights at the city’s newly opened Chase Center. The shows were spectacular. They were a triumph. They were even more surprising than the original S&M 20 years earlier. Unbeknownst to the band, however, they’d also mark the final occasions Metallica would share a stage for quite some time.
James Hetfield made his first public appearance in months at the end of January, opening an exhibit of his custom cars
GETTY.
“JAMES GOING TO REHAB WAS EMOTIONAL FOR ALL OF US”
KIRK HAMMETT
Bassist Rob, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and drummer/band mastermind Lars Ulrich all join Hammer today down phonelines from their respective homes dotted across California. They’re doing press to promote S&M2’s long-awaited home release, repeatedly delayed due to complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. For them, though, all plans were derailed a few months earlier than the rest of the world’s. On September 28, it was announced that Metallica were pulling their scheduled stadium shows in Australia and New Zealand - the latest in a serious of victory laps for the monstrously successful Hardwired… To Self-Destruct era - so that James could “re-enter a treatment program to work on his recovery again.” For fans, it was a real shock, a harsh reminder that even metal’s very biggest band weren’t invincible. For Metallica, it was a sharp and sudden loss of momentum, and an emotional reality check.
“It was very emotional for all of us,” admits Kirk. “Whenever something happens to a bandmember like this, it’s so deeply unsettling. It comes as a shock, you know? You have to do a bit of scrambling just to cover some ground.”
“We really didn’t see it coming,” agrees Rob. “James seemed like he was fine, but then you look back and you try to analyse the situation over time and see where there were red flags. Being on the road can be very challenging, and I’d imagine for James, to get up there in front of all those people and have to be ‘on’… meanwhile, your family’s not with you, all these things are going on, it builds up, and the pressure of that… I can imagine it’s a lot.”