During a recent appearance on the Come On Over Podcast, Sebastian Bach shared that he can’t match Metallica’s $500K donation to support California wildfires.
The singer discussed the impact of performing during the LA wildfires, saying, “It is completely fun and people are sad and maybe just for an hour and a half, they can forget about the misery for a little bit.” He added, “I know they can’t forget about it but it reminds me of 9/11. I mean that totally disrupted my rock and roll.”
He continued, “I didn’t feel like rocking and rolling when that went down but then Bruce Springsteen and the Who did that benefit concert for the survivors of the Twin Towers and everything.”
“So rock even brought some sense to that and Metallica just gave half a million. I’m not going to be giving half a million [laughs]. I’ll give you half a million laughs,” Bach joked.
Earlier this month, Metallica donated $500,000 to aid California wildfires through their All Within My Hands foundation. The money will assist the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund and the Pasadena Community Foundation’s Eaton Canyon Fire Relief and Recovery Fund.
A statement from the foundation described the devastation caused by the fires, saying, “The fires raging in the Los Angeles area have relentlessly wreaked havoc and widespread destruction since January 7 and, sadly, do not show signs of slowing down. Despite containment progress over the weekend, officials warn residents to stay vigilant as the Santa Ana winds return and are expected to reach up to 70 MPH over the coming days, creating critical fire conditions.”
The statement continued, “In the past week, the community has suffered at least 24 lives lost, nearly 100,000 people under evacuation orders, 40,000 acres burned, and more than 12,000 structures—commercial and residential—destroyed. However, numbers cannot articulate the magnitude of anguish as the disaster upends families and dismantles livelihoods.”
It further read, “All Within My Hands is granting $500,000 to relief efforts carried out by the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund and the Pasadena Community Foundation’s Eaton Canyon Fire Relief and Recovery Fund.”
Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation frequently contributes to disaster relief. In October, the foundation donated $100,000 for Hurricane Helene relief. It also raises funds through an annual ‘Helping Hands’ concert and auction. Last month, Metallica performed at the event, with all proceeds going to the foundation.
