Metallica’s James Hetfield has shared that even he makes mistakes while performing on stage. During The Metallica Report podcast, Hetfield said that making mistakes is just part of the show, and he fully accepts them.
“I think that the confidence, the fact that the ’72 Seasons’ album is well received and some of the songs that we’re playing live work and they kind of fit seamlessly in with all the catalog, all the albums we have,” the rocker said of their recent album. “We’re not afraid of it, but we’re not overindulging in it as well. We know people wanna hear the ‘best of’. And you’ve gotta challenge them to listen to some of the new stuff as well, ’cause we certainly don’t wanna be a legacy band that just plays their greatest hits and then that’s it. It’s all a part of it.”
“I think the confidence of us and the stage, being on stage, knowing that, hey, all mistakes are a part of the show,” he continued. “That’s part of what we say before we go out: hey, all mistakes are free. And it’s not a mistake. Really, that word is kind of ridiculous in a way. It’s just a unique way of playing it that night. Everyone gets to enjoy whatever happens right then. And frankly, I think it’s a challenge.”
“When a song falls apart, and it could be devastating to other bands, for us, it’s just, ‘Okay. We f*cked it up. Let’s start it again.’ Or, ‘Hey, let’s take it from here.’ There’s been times when I’ve edited out a whole middle section and then at the end of the song said, ‘Oh my God, I forgot to play that part here. Let’s just play it for you.’ There’s a freedom up there that the fans allow, there’s a grace that they allow us to be human. So there is confidence that you can’t go wrong. You just can’t go wrong. You show up and you do your best and you know it’s from the heart,” Hetfield added.
Even though the frontman acknowledged that everyone can make mistakes, he earlier said there were ‘no mistakes’ in his band.
Before starting ‘Inamorata,’ the closing song from their album ’72 Seasons,’ the rocker said: “This next song, we have never, ever played live before. And, y’know, in our band we don’t recognise the word ‘mistake’, because there are no mistakes, there’s just unique moments that happen, alright? That’s what we need to tell ourselves. This one is from ’72 Seasons’ – it’s one of my favourites, so I’m gonna like it.”
Metallica’s ‘M72’ tour for 2025 will kick off with a headline performance on April 12 at the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas. The band will also headline the Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio, with two shows at Historic Crew Stadium, set for May 9 and May 11.
Metallica will also be hosting their fourth Helping Hands Concert & Auction benefit this December in Los Angeles to support their charity, the All Within My Hands Foundation.