James Hetfield Shares How Metallica Feels About Mistakes During Shows

With the always evolving advances in technology, many bands in the rock and metal genres have taken to using pre-recorded tracks during their shows, and it has sparked controversy among fans.

Many bands still play totally live, of course, and one mega act that prides itself on their live show — warts and all — are metal titans Metallica. The band also changes their set regularly and covers material from every album and era of the band. This can lead, however, to the odd mistake on stage.

Frontman James Hetfield talked about these occasional yet still rare flubs on a new episode of “The Metallica Report.” “I think the confidence of us and the stage, being on stage, knowing that, hey, all mistakes are a part of the show,” he said. “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.”

He continued: “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 a 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.”