Concerts might be a no-go at this time, but nothing's stopping Metallica from hitting the stage.
Following their blazing performance of Battery for the 35th anniversary of Master of Puppets on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the thrash-metal titans have served up their take on the US national anthem at an NBA showdown between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Performing at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, Kirk Hammett runs his legendary “Greeny” Les Paul through a characteristically consistent level of wah, while James Hetfield dons a camo-finished variation of his ESP Custom Shop Snakebyte model.
This is, of course, not the first time Metallica have performed the national anthem at a sports game in the Bay Area.
June 2019 saw the band play their distorted rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner before an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors, and they've also performed prior to San Francisco Giants baseball games and San Jose Sharks hockey games.
“They're always a pleasure. Come on, to be able to support a hometown team in the best possible way, it's a huge honor,” Hammett said of the band's involvement with the Giants in a recent interview.
“And also to be able to play the national anthem for a hometown team, that's just beyond huge. As a native San Franciscan, the honor to be a civil servant for San Francisco cannot be higher for me to play the national anthem with James.”
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