Ted Nugent thinks it’s fantastic that Metallica continues to earn millions each night.
“I just heard that REO Speedwagon is not touring. My buddy Sammy Hagar with Joe Satriani and Jason Bonham and Michael Anthony, I don’t know who the keyboard player is but he’s awesome. I wish I knew his name. Somebody can put on the screen for me but whoever is around Sammy Hagar is world-class musical forces,” the singer mentioned in a recent episode of The Spirit Campfire.
Nugent went on to talk about Hagar for his ongoing Best of All Worlds tour, “He’s over in Japan right now, teaching them Japanese music lovers how to rock and roll. Eddie Trunk, my great Eddie Trunk, musical celebration radio guy. He’s over there with Sammy. So there’s a lot of great music out there.”
“Who else is out there playing? I think isn’t Metallica still doing it? They do stadium [shows]. They make $26 million a night. You guys are awesome,” Ted praised Metallica. “And they play soulful heavy metal. It’s more rhythm and blues-oriented heavy metal. Just heavier like if James Brown had more amplifiers and a white bass player.”
The musician added, “I’m not knocking whatever that bass player’s name is Metallica. He’s awesome. He’s got the rhythm grooved down.”
This isn’t the first time Nugent expressed his admiration for Metallica. In a 2022 chat with Meltdown of Detroit’s WRIF radio station, he stated, “There’s a real Motown soulfulness to what me and my boys deliver; there’s a grunt and a grind. And I love musicians who put their heart and soul into stuff — I love Metallica and I love Slayer and I love Megadeth and I love ’em all.”
Ted remarked, “I like a sexy, grunting rhythm. And I hear it from Metallica sometimes, and I love their heavy metal stuff — it’s killer. They’re unbelievable musicians and [they have] an incredible work ethic; they’re all in the asset column of life and music.”
Metallica’s M72 World Tour to support ’72 Seasons’ continues in Mexico. After two shows in Mexico City on September 27 and 29, the band will perform in Los Angeles on December 13.
