Throughout their career, Metallica has performed with a tremendous array of legendary metal bands; however, among those big bands, there is an act that Metallica really hated touring with.
Back in the ’90s, one of the biggest tours of the decade was Metallica and Guns N’ Roses‘ Stadium Tour, which also featured support from Faith No More and Body Count. This trek has cemented itself as one of the more infamous tours in heavy metal history; among the several issues to take place over the course of the tour, at one point, a riot broke out.
This tour involved a lot of friction, with Metallica and Guns N’ Roses beefing big time with one another. Years down the road, in a 2013 conversation between Metallica and Howard Stern, James Hetfield would address the issues he and the rest of the band had with Guns N’ Roses, and confirm that he “hated them.”
At the beginning of their conversation, Stern mentions that he was playing some Guns N’ Roses prior to Metallica getting set up in his studio; he then brings up how Metallica had a “whole thing” with Guns N’ Roses. He follows this up by saying, “James, you hated those fucking guys.” Stern continues, saying that the band went on tour with Guns N’ Roses and it was a “nightmare.”
Stern asks if he has this right, and Hetfield replies “You do have it right.”
Stern then asks for a little more details, and Hetfields says “They were always late; that’s why I hated them. I think they pretty much stood for everything we didn’t like. The glam, the LA, everything we kind of escaped in the early days, you know?”
It’s such a shame that the tour had as many problems as it did and things were so tense between the two bands. What do you make of Hetfield’s points about Guns N’ Roses?
If you happen to have attended this Stadium Tour, what was your experience like seeing Metallica and Guns N’ Roses perform?
Ironically, both bands will be hitting the road soon for their own respective tours – who knows if one day the two acts could tour together once again.
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