Metallica perform rare tracks and deep cuts during celebratory 40th anniversary shows

Metallica performed two fan club-only concerts over the weekend in celebration of their 40th anniversary, during which they played a handful of rarely heard and never-before-performed-live songs from across their repertoire.

Taking place at the San Francisco Chase Center on Friday (17th) and Sunday (19th) nights, the events featured a bunch of rarities and deep cuts, with the premiere show featuring a first-ever live rendition of Fixxxer – a track taken from their 1997 album Reload.

The setlist on the first night also boasted Trapped Under Ice, which was performed for the first time since 2012, as well as fan favorites Nothing Else Matters, The Shortest Straw, One and Sad but True.

“We are grateful that you have been along with us for 40 years,” Hetfield said to the audience, “and we are so happy that you’re still here after all this time.

“After 40 years, there’s still firsts,” he added, prior to the band’s performance of Fixxxer, which saw Kirk Hammett wield his Gibson Greeny Les Paul electric guitar for a wah-laden solo.

Metallica also treated those in attendance on the second night to their fair share of rarities. For the first time since 2010, the quartet performed The End of the Line – taken from 2008's Death Magnetic – as well as St. Anger’s Dirty Window, which hadn’t been performed live since 2011.

That was only the start, though. The December 19 show also saw the band play I Disappear for the first time since 2013, as well as Bleeding Me and Wasting My Hate – both of which were last performed in December 2011.

Posting to Instagram after the event, the band also revealed that it was in fact their 2,000th live show.

Both performances were streamed live free of charge on Amazon’s Twitch account and Prime Video platforms, and will be made available for on-demand viewing via The Coda Collection in the near future.

Metallica are set to continue their collaboration with Amazon Music by way of The Metallica Takeover, a guest-hosted radio station that will see the band "break down stories spanning the evolution of their music".