The year was 2017 and Metallica were on the Asian leg of their ‘WorldWired Tour,’ in support of their double album ‘Hardwired… To Self- Destruct.’ It was their fifth show in Seoul, but it was their first with Babymetal. Before the band’s performance as the opening act, drummer Lars Ulrich shared his thoughts about Babymetal.
The rocker went all the way back to the day Metallica saw them perform at a festival. Lars recalled:
“We saw them in 2013 at a festival, and we were astounded by their awesomeness. As you know, they are now touring around the world, opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers…”
He added that Babymetal was already on their radar and they decided to get in touch with the band when the opportunity arose to do an Asian leg of the tour. He continued:
“They’ve been doing a lot of cool things and they have plenty of experience with live shows. So, when we were about to come [to South Korea], we thought, this is their area, so to speak. [Laughs]”
Babymetal is not a conventional heavy metal band as they have been generally described as ‘kawaii metal.’ Fans were sceptical about what how them opening the concert for Metallica would be but Lars was clearly on board.
The drummer couldn’t hold back his excitement of playing with the band. He expressed:
“It was a privilege for us to play together with [a band of] such a presence, and I look forward to showing their performance to my wife. I’ve always said, ‘You must absolutely watch them!’ They’re so cool, I’m already excited about it.”
Ulrich also mentioned that day that they will try to give fans the best show alongside Babymetal. The drummer added:
“And also, of course, because I’d like our fans to enjoy the best show. I don’t know how many stages we will share with Babymetal, but I’m happy to be together with them for tonight’s show [in Seoul].”
You can read Lars Ulrich’s 2017 words about Babymetal here and listen to ‘Hardwired… To Self-Destruct’ below.
