On This Day: Metallica Concert Devolves Into a Riot After James Hetfield Is Injured by Pyrotechnics

We all know how the old saying goes: “If you play with fire, you’re gonna get burned.” However, the members of Metallica apparently missed that lesson. Thirty-two years ago today (Aug. 8, 1992,) the band’s set at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium came to a screeching halt when James Hetfield was burned by pyrotechnics. Here’s how the subsequent chain of events led to a $600,000 damage bill.

Metallica Cuts Setlist Short When James Hetfield Gets Burned

In May 1992, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses announced they would join forces for what promised to be one epic tour. Metallica sought to promote their self-titled fifth album, while Guns N’ Roses focused on Use Your Illusion 1 and II.

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On Aug. 8, 1992, the members of Metallica were gearing up for “Fade to Black” when disaster struck. Perrin Wolfson remembered the ill-fated incident in an August 2020 article for The Metal Voice. “[The] sound of a guitar going way out of tune and then the band disappears… and a whole lotta nothing for a good ten minutes,” Wolfson wrote.

As it turned out, that “out of tune sound” was James Hetfield’s guitar strings melting when the guitarist accidentally ended up in the direct path of the set’s pyrotechnics. Hetfield was rushed to the hospital, with Kirk Hammett, Jason Newsted, and Lars Ulrich promising a makeup concert.

Axl Rose’s Epic Storm-Off: “This Is Going To Be the Last You’ll Hear From Us in a Long Time”

With Metallica’s set over prematurely, the crowd grew increasingly restless as they waited more than two hours for Guns N’ Roses to take the stage. When they finally did, it didn’t go well.

After a 45-minute set rife with audio issues, frontman Axl Rose shouted, “This is going to be the last you’ll hear from us in a long time, I’m out.” Tossing his microphone, the “Welcome to the Jungle” singer stormed offstage.

[Read More – REMEMBER WHEN: Remember When: Axl Rose Allegedly Chased Down David Bowie for Hitting on His Girlfriend]

What followed was pure chaos. “Then, like army ants, people started attacking the stage and merch booths,” Wolfson wrote. “Security could not handle the waves of angry, ripped off, tired, hot fans looking to extract revenge.”

The Montreal Gazette summed up the bedlam in a 2017 article: “There were 300 police officers and 400 security personnel on the scene, pricey T-shirts were blazing in bonfires, the Expos souvenir boutique was being looted, cop cars were being overturned, and a half-million dollars of property was being damaged.”

Nothing more metal than that, right?

(Featured image by Mariscal/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)