Metallica Frontman/Rhythm Guitarist recently called out bands who don’t carry through with farewell tours.
Metallica‘s schedules are currently filled with a surplus of tour dates, revealing no apparent plans for entering retirement anytime soon. However, when it does come time for the members of the heavy metal group to hang it up, frontman James Hetfield isn’t sure how he would like Metallica to go out. During a recent interview with Kerrang, Hetfield explained how he isn’t a fan of the “farewell tour,” particularly when groups ultimately reconsider while on the road.
“I don’t think that’s fair to anyone,” he explained. “Kiss‘ farewell tour for the 10th time? Scorpions were done and then they tour? You can’t say that and then not do it. I don’t know what’s in store for us. I don’t want to go on the history of how other bands have done it. We’re unique in our own path and unique in how our path ends.”
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich also addressed the notion, saying, “I feel there’s a time I could step away from it. I was very ready to step away from it right there in ’01 and ’02 when all that s–t was going down with ‘Some Kind of Monster.’ I have thousands of other things that I can entertain myself with that would be creatively stimulating.”
Lars would also go on to add, “Obviously, Metallica’s my love, my priority and first thing, but I’m not afraid of what I’m going to do with my life if this all goes away. I don’t think I want to do music once Metallica ends. Hopefully, it will last forever.”
With work on Metallica’s anticipated follow-up to 2008′s ‘Death Magnetic’ currently underway, and following the formidable performance found throughout their new song, “Lords of Summer,” the future appears promisingly bright for the band.