Kirk Hammett made a mistake on live while performing the entrance to ‘Nothing Else Matters’ during Metallica’s Power Trip concert in October 2023. He recently discussed the incident during an interview with Total Guitar. Following the error, Hammett apologized to the audience before restarting the song. Reflecting on this, he stated: “You’re definitely setting yourself up for a lot of remarks afterwards! But I didn’t care, guy. In that moment, I was like, “F**k!” I’m going to play that for you properly, because you deserve to hear it perfectly! Yeah, I messed it up. So, what!? I don’t take myself very seriously. I’m not going to stand up there and pretend I’m some f**king flawless machine.”
Following the performance in Indio, California, the guitarist shook his hands to determine the issue: “Then I thought ‘F**k!’” I am dehydrated. That’s why. I am not as flexible as I usually am. I simply did not drink enough water while playing in the desert’s dry heat.
Hammett Slips During Metallica Shows. Metallica began their Power Trip festival concert with ‘Whiplash,’ followed by ‘Creeping Death’ and ‘From Whom the Bell Tolls.’ After performing ‘Orion,’ the band was about to play ‘Nothing Else Matters’ when Hammett’s error in the entrance was discovered. Before restarting the song, the guitarist informed the audience: “I apologize, guys. I tried it again. I botched up again. I’ll play it again for you. You know, it’s quite hot in this f**king desert.”
This was not the first time Hammett struggled with the start of ‘Nothing Else Matters.’ During the first show of the North American leg of Metallica’s M72 World Tour, he paused the performance owing to a similar problem, informing the audience in New Jersey: “Well, it’s the first show…”[Laughs] I’m going to repeat this introduction for you all. It’s simply not good enough for me, and if it’s not good enough for me, it’s certainly not good enough for you!”
Metallica’s ongoing World Tour
The M72 World Tour, which is in support of Metallica’s latest album, began in the Netherlands in April. The band introduced a new concept called ‘No Repeat Weekend,’ in which they play separate sets on two consecutive nights at the same venue. The North American leg of the tour concluded on November 12. Metallica intends to continue their tour in Europe in May 2024, before returning to the United States for further gigs in August.
