Back in the ’80s, prior to Metallica becoming superstars that would go on to sell out stadiums, ex-Van Halen member Sammy Hagar made a bet with the thrash act and ultimately won said bet – but in all these years, Metallica has yet to fully pay him.
As reported by Loudwire, this bet took place before the release of the Metallica album …And Justice For All. Hagar made a bet for $100 with each member of the band, saying that he believed their record (Justice) would go platinum before the end of the tour (Hagar and Metallica were touring together as part of the Monsters of Rock tour).
And sure enough, …And Justice For All went platinum. However, while half of Metallica coughed up their $100 to Hagar, two other members did not.
Which two members have not paid Hagar? That would be Metallica singer James Hetfield and ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted.
Recently on his Instagram, Hagar shared a photo from the Monsters of Rock stadium tour (and in the photo’s caption, he mentions his bet with Metallica and how only Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett have paid him). Per the caption associated with that photo:
“There’s a lot of metal going on here. This was the press conference for the Monsters of Rock stadium tour. I must admit we had a good time that day hanging out with all these guys. Metallica hadn’t broke yet with ‘Enter Sandman’, but they crushed it every night, put a big hurt on Dokken, who had to follow them, ouch! I bet the members of Metallica $100 each that at the end of this tour their next record would go platinum. So far Lars and Kirk are the only ones that paid up. Ha ha.”
It’s funny that, given how much Metallica has made, neither Hetfield nor Newsted has paid Hagar in over three decades. What do you think of …And Justice For All? Where does it rank for you among Metallica’s albums?
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Upcoming Metallica tour dates in 2023:
- August 4th and 6th – East Rutherford, NJ – Metlife Stadium
August 11th and 13th – Montreal, Canada – Stade Olympique
August 18th and 20th – Arlington, TX – AT&T Stadium
August 25th and 27th – Los Angeles, CA – SOFI Stadium
September 1st and 3rd – Phoenix, AZ – State Farm Stadium
November 3rd and 5th – St. Louis, MO – The Dome (At America’s Center)
November 10th and 12th – Detroit, MI – Ford Field
In 2024:
- August 2nd and 4th – Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium
August 9th and 11th – Chicago, IL – Solider Field
August 16th and 18th – Minneapolis, MN – US Bank Stadium
August 23rd and 25th – Edmonton, Canada – Commonwealth Stadium
August 30th and September 1st – Seattle, WA – Lumen Field
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