Lars Ulrich Was Once Asked To Not Make Eye Contact With Mick Jagger

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Mick Jagger: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons / Lars Ulrich: Greg2600, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
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Imagine you are a supporting act for one of your all-time favorite bands; you are excited to play alongside this band and meet their singer, but then you find out you’re not even allowed to make eye contact with them.

This is what happened to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich back in the day while the band was supporting The Rolling Stones.

During a conversation on Bill Mahr’s podcast Club Random, Ulrich talked about a show that took place in 2005 when Metallica supported The Rolling Stones. For the drummer, this was a major deal, for he is a big fan of the Stones.

However, come to find out, there was a certain request brought to Ulrich’s attention in regard to interacting with Stones singer Mick Jagger. Per Ulrich, he was told by a personal assistant that he was not allowed to make eye contact with Jagger.

Per Ulrich’s words (as transcribed by Metal Hammer): “So we’re sitting backstage, and – and this is in no way a judgment on the Stones, this is really more about us – at one point a personal assistant or whatever comes and says, ‘Mick Jagger’s gonna walk through here in a couple minutes, he’s going over to his private gym in his truck, and he’s going to warm up before the show. When he walks through here, please don’t make eye contact with him or talk to him’.”

Ulrich goes on to reveal that, ultimately, the only contact Metallica were allowed to have with the Stones was to have their photo taken with them as they were walking out to the stage.

While folks may have to shift their gaze in a different direction as Jagger struts down the halls in gym trunks, Ulrich handles his interactions with supporting acts in a much different manner:

“I always go and say hello to our support act: I look them in the eye, I ask them if there’s anything they need. It’s a human thing; if somebody comes out and plays on a Metallica stage I want them to feel at home.”

What do you make of Ulrich’s story about Mick Jagger?

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