Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett said in a new video that even when the band were playing shows in front of poor crowds at low as 10 people, he always treated it like an ‘event’ the equivalent of playing in front of 10,000 or 110,000 people. Kirk Hammett was recently photographed shirtless, showing off a surprising physique.
“For me, whenever we play, it’s a real event in my own head, and so whether it’s, like, a small theater, an arena, or a freaking stadium with 47,000 people, in my mind it’s all just the biggest event. Walking out on stage for me in my mind is an event. It really is, my small little life, like, waking up and meditating, doing yoga, playing guitar and reading, then, you know, X hours later, walking out on stage to 47,000 people, in my mind, that is a fucking event.
At that point, it doesn’t matter what anyone else is thinking, whether they’re thinking, ‘It’s a festival, it’s a Metallica gig’ – it’s an event, it’s a fucking ground-breaking experience. In my mind, it’s an event, and I approach it like it’s the fucking last show I’m gonna play, and just fucking give it my all, and to me it evens out all the shows, big or small, that mindset allows me to go out there and play the same show whether it’s a small show in front of 10 people or a medium-sized show in front of 10,000 people or a massive show in front of a 110,000 people, it’s always an event in my mind.
That’s kind of how I see it. I can only imagine with you guys, all the preparation that goes into like presenting this really cool, really it’s like a show that, perceptually, it has so much coming at you – visually, musically has so much coming at you, you know. To me, whenever they play, in my mind too, it’s like an event. It’s like going to see a freaking movie or a stage play. I don’t mean to answer for you, but that’s how I kind of see you guys.”
Ultimate-Guitar transcribed Hammett’s comments.
Pollstar have published their latest financial numbers that represent global earnings for touring artists worldwide, and Metallica came in at number 4 with 630,000 tickets sold in 2019, with an average ticket price of $109.66, making them over $69 Million Dollars in ticket sales with just 26 shows. The band sell around 24,000 tickets per night, netting $2,679,447 per show.
Elton John, Pink, and Justin Timberlake finished about Metallica, while Fleetwood Mac, Ed Sheeran, and KISS are right behind them on the list. Paul McCartney came in at number 16, with Phil Collins at number 22, Billy Joel at number 24, The Eagles at number 28, Dave Matthews Band at number 42, with Roger Waters just barely cracking the list at number 48.
