Photo: Getty Images
Prior to their headlining gig at this weekend's Boston Calling Festival, James, Kirk, Rob and Lars were honored at Oracle Park in San Francisco for "Metallica Night". Although the pandemic kept them off the calendar the last two seasons, this marked the Eight Annual event to honor San Fran's hometown Metal Gods.
In a statement, lead axe man Kirk Hammett had this to say:
"It's great. It's a lot of fun. It's a good opportunity for us to interact with our home team, hometown, and interact with the people of the Bay Area in San Francisco. And for me, it's a lot of fun to be able to play the national anthem."
Frontman and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield added:
"We're blessed to be doing this every year and being a part of the vibe here. You know, when times are good, when times are bad, they need the support."
The signature ESP guitars James and Kirk played were autographed and will be auctioned off to benefit the World Central Kitchen's Chefs for Ukraine fund via Metallica's All Within My Hands Foundation. See pics and more details on these cool axes HERE
The band are no strangers to rocking their arrangement of the "Star Spangled Banner" having performed before Golden State Warriors basketball games and San Jose Sharks hockey games. After the anthem, bassist Robert Trujillo had the honor of throwing out the first pitch.