James Hetfield, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for arguably one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all-time, Metallica, delivered a rather blunt message to entertainers in the music industry and across all mediums of self-expression, who turn their concerts into giant protest rallies for whatever cause they are championing during a packed out show in Las Vegas that is part of their residency at The Sphere.
According to Hetfield, Metallica is not at all interested in pushing a particular political agenda on fans who pay good money to come see them play their music live. Once upon a time, such a strategy or principle wasn’t all that far -fetched. Legendary music artists like Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton both took this same stance and nobody faulted them for it. In fact, fans seemingly appreciated having artists they could turn to that would not leave them deeply divided and provided an escape from the stress of daily life.
Hetfield, 63, fired his proverbial shot at colleagues in the music business during Metallica’s show at the Sphere in Las Vegas on October 10. The metal legend’s message resonated with the crowd and drew an enthusiastic response from folks in the audience who came to hear heavy metal, not a discourse in political theory.
According to a report from Trending Politics News, the singer paused between songs during the show to thank fans for traveling to see the band, acknowledging the time and money these folks invested to come see the band perform. Hetfield thanked those that drove long distances to see the Sphere show and celebrate the band’s career and impressive music catalogue.
“Unless you live in Vegas, you’ve come a long way to spend some time with Metallica. We’re grateful for that — your travels, the money you spend, the time it took, thanks for coming to celebrate with us,” Hetfield told the crowd. Then he dropped the bomb that caused regular Americans who are oversaturated by political materials to cheer, while simultaneously angering the radical leftists who think every breath one takes is supposed to be used as an act of activism.
“I just gotta say, Metallica is not here, like some other entertainers, to influence you with their bullshit, okay? We are here… no bulls–t… we’re here to forget about all the outside s–t, okay? Metallica’s agenda is love, energy and heavy music, baby!” Hetfield told the crowd as they exploded into cheers. Many conservative pundits have said over and over again that audiences are craving this very attitude from modern-day creatives.
A video clip of the moment has gone viral on social media, showcasing Hetfield’s boldness to tell the chronically politically active to simmer down. While he didn’t mention any specific artist or political party, his comments come as controversy continues to grow over musicians using their live performances to push political causes.
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This isn’t the first time Hetfield has discussed the egregiousness of politics infiltrating the music business. In an interview with the BBC from 2016, the Metallica frontman addressed the growing political divide in the country and explained why the band prefers to avoid those kinds of polarizing subjects during live shows.
“There’s a lot of polarization going on in the [United] States, and I see it other places as well. But it just seems like you have to get more extreme to balance out the other extreme,” Hetfield said. He has stated his belief that music can bring people together from vastly different walks of life and political beliefs that have been divided by political disagreements, on numerous occasions.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video