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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.