Metallica appeared on Howard Stern show last Wednesday, August 12, to talk about how they are dealing with the pandemic.
The heavy metal band dropped by Stern's SiriusXM show to discuss the measures they have to face due to the coronavirus lockdown.
Unlike the other band members, frontman-guitarist James Hetfield cannot wear a mask while performing. He also added that they are getting COVID tested at every opportunity. Sometimes, this can go beyond once a day. It is a good thing that he has gotten used to it seeing that he also gets his vocal chords regularly checked for nodes.
Kirk Hammett, lead guitarist, agrees that "it is not fun" and that it only reminds him of the bad days when they would stick things up their nose for drugs. Those are long gone but they are dealing with it again now but for a different reason.
Drummer Lars Ulrich mentioned that they limit their social bubble to about 25-30 people. These are mostly members of the team that will help them in their upcoming gigs.
One of many is the August 29 event where their gig will be shown across US and Canada. The virtual concert will go live via outdoor theaters and drive-ins.
Ulrich shares how everyone is experimenting on creative and innovate ways to connect and bring music to fans in a time of COVID quarantine. He is also looking forward to what is in store for music in the post-COVID era. The Metallica drummer feels like they are still in a concert with lights and everything but without an audience. "Selfishly, it was really for us to get together and jam because we missed jamming," he added.
Hetfield agreed and hopes that it brings joy to people out in the world in a time when everything has been disrupted due to COVID.
Last May, Metallica hosted "Month of Giving" via their All Within My Hands Foundation. They dedicated the whole month to help out in efforts to slow down the coronavirus pandemic. The foundation was formed way back in February 2017 and has been helping out various communities. They also encourage their fans to volunteer and donate.
They also mentioned how Metallica would never collaborate with someone like Lady Gaga during their earlier days. Last 2017, many were surprised when the band worked with Gaga to perform "Moth Into Flame" during the Grammy awards. While their younger selves probably would not have done something crazy like that, Hetfield acknowledged that they matured and that all artists are "in this together." Additionally, he admired Gaga's dedication - showing up two hours early to rehearse her performance. Hetfield respects and considers the iconic pop star as "extremely creative and a fearless artist."
To celebrate 20 years of their collaboration with San Francisco Symphony for the S&M orchestral metal album, the two musical acts performed in commemorative shows. These shows were screened in more than 3,000 theaters all over the world last October 9, 2019. Fans might want to watch out for the S&M2 album, video, and box set scheduled for release this August 28, 2020.
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