Metallica is probably the biggest metal band on the planet. Known for their bold, loud and very intense concerts. On the occasion of the ongoing tour “M72 World Tour” the performances were turned up to the limit. Such a complex show can be an overwhelming logistical challenge, even with the enormous resources at the team’s disposal. Guitarist Kirk Hammett shared his biggest worry when performing. He talked about it in an interview for “Total Guitar”.
“Personally, when I get to a show, my only focus is on work. All that matters is what I can do to put on the best show possible. In other words, I’m not sitting backstage watching TV, socializing or doing nothing ” – says.
“Everything I do, from minute to minute, revolves around the concert, or I’m warming up, or preparing for the performance, or practicing with the rest of the band,” he continues.
What is a guitarist really afraid of?
“The only thing that I am very, very afraid of during our concerts is whether I will be able to hear myself, because we put ourselves in situations like the stage on the ‘M72’ route, where it is extremely difficult to hear myself and the other members of the group,” he explains.
“The listening system is pushed to the absolute limits in terms of being able to hear yourself on this big stage. We have monitors everywhere. We have in-ear headphones. We have two monitor engineers – one for James (Hetfield) i Larsa (Ulrich), the second for Rob (Trujillo) and me because one guy can’t do it. There is too much jumping from song to song. It’s quite difficult!” he says Hammett.
An interesting aspect of the “M72” concerts are the possibilities offered by the unusually constructed stage, allowing the audience to feel like they are at a club concert and a stadium show at the same time: “It’s so crazy how the perspective changes this way many times during the concert. I think people realize we realize that because there are cameras projecting at us all the time, on the video monitors. When we play Snakepit, we feel like we’re in the club, the camera is right there, and then we project that club atmosphere into the stadium, so I think that’s it. “it helps – it helps create an intimate atmosphere.”
Metallica recently announced the extension of their “M72 World Tour” through 2025, with shows in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Guests will go on tour with the band Panther, Suicidal Tendencies, Limp Bizkit and Ice Nine Kills.