James Hetfield admits he sometimes forgets to play entire sections of songs live: “It could be devastating to other bands, for us it’s just, ‘Okay, we f**ked up!’”
“There’s been times where I’ve edited out a whole middle section, then at the end of the song I say, ‘Oh my god, I forgot to play that part!’”
Rockstars are only human. It may be hard to believe, but your favourite guitar hero still eats, sleeps, and puts their pants on one leg at a time. Just like us, even god-like musicians are prone to a bit of human error.
Metallica‘s James Hetfield has admitted that even he is no stranger to making mistakes while performing. Speaking on The Metallica Report podcast, the frontman proudly owns up to stumbling on the odd solo. “All mistakes are a part of the show,” he insists.
Hetfield explains that there’s a confidence that comes with embracing your mistakes. He even reveals the mantra that the gang tell themselves before going out on-stage: “Hey, all mistakes are free!”
While the heavy metal legends certainly don’t mess up on purpose, Hetfield considers each mistake to be a ‘unique’ way for fans to experience a track live. “It’s not a mistake, really,” he says. “That word is kind of ridiculous. It’s just a unique way of playing it that night. Everyone gets to enjoy whatever happens right then.”
When you’ve been performing tracks for years, a mistake can even breathe new life into a track. Hetfield argues that every fumbled riff keeps the gang on their toes. “Frankly, I think it’s a challenge when a song falls apart,” he explains. “It could be devastating to other bands, for us it’s just, ‘Okay, we fucked up! Let’s start it again! Let’s take it from here!’”
Sometimes the mistakes can be pretty blatant, too. But who can blame him – the Metallica back catalogue is pretty intimidating. “There’s been times where I’ve edited out a whole middle section,” he laughs. “Then at the end of the song I say ‘oh my god, I forgot to play that part… here, let’s just play it for you!’”
From the weeniest bum note to total structural overhauls, Metallica always pick themselves back up again. Nothing can knock Papa Het’s confidence – and he has the fans to thank for that. “There’s a freedom up there that the fans allow,” he smiles.
“There’s a grace,” he continues. “They allow us to be human. There’s confidence that you can’t go wrong… You show up and you do your best, and you know it’s from the heart.”
Elsewhere in the podcast episode, Hetfield reflects on the upcoming run of shows on the M72 World Tour. “The 72 seasons album was well received, and the songs we’re playing live work,” he enthuses.
“We know people want to hear the ‘Best Of’,” he chuckles. “But you’ve got to challenge them to listen to some of the new stuff as well. We certainly don’t want to be a legacy band that just plays their greatest hits and that’s it.”
Metallica are set to host their fourth biennial Helping Hands Concert & Auction benefit concert this December. The show will be taking place at Los Angeles’ Youtube Theatre and will be raising funds for Metallica’s All Within My Hands foundation.
