A horrific pyrotechnic error left Metallica frontman James Hetfield “burnt down to the bone” during a show.
The veteran frontman caught fire in front of 55,000 fans in 1992 while performing a co-headline tour with Guns n’ Roses. Metallica’s self-titled album was released that same year, and the band were going from strength to strength in the early 1990s. A gig at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal was going well for the band, though on their twelfth song of the night, Fade to Black, Hetfield accidentally stepped into a twelve-foot flame. The incident has since been recalled by Hetfield during a VH-1 Behind the Music appearance, where he said the “side of my face” as well as his hair, arm, and hand, were burnt. His bandmates were fascinated by the moment and had no idea how close Hetfield came to death.
The frontman said: “I’m a little confused on where I’m supposed to be, and then pyro guy doesn’t see me, and ‘whoosh!’, a big coloured flame goes right up under me. I’m burnt. My arm, my hand, completely down to the bone. The side of my face. Hair’s gone. Part of my back. I watched the skin just rising, all these things going wrong.”
Bassist Jason Newsted added in a separate interview: “If he had been breathing in, he would have been dead.” It was a gruesome scene for the band, with bass tech Zach Harmon saying Hetfield was “holding his arm with his skin coming off” before being ushered off stage.
Band member Lars Ulrich then had to explain to the crowd they would not be continuing the show, as Hetfield was taken to the hospital. As he was escorted backstage, someone reportedly touched Hetfield’s arm. Accident or intentional, Hetfield lashed out and “punched him right in the nuts.”
He said: “I remember I just lost it. I screamed and punched him right in the nuts.”
Hetfield added: “I was in shock. The nerves felt like they were exposed. My hand looked the worst. It bubbled up in two layers that came off. It was pretty much the worst pain I’ve ever felt.”
Despite the nasty injuries, Metallica were back on tour just two weeks after the show. The band would perform just twelve songs that night, though they did manage to play hits like For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Shortest Straw before the incident. A full setlist from that night can be found below.
- Creeping Death
- Harvester of Sorrow
- Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
- Sad but True
- Wherever I May Roam
- Of Wolf and Man
- For Whom the Bell Tolls
- The Unforgiven
- The Shortest Straw
- Bass Solo
- Guitar Solo
- Fade to Black
Amazingly, the band were back on the road just two weeks after this incident. Hetfield had recovered in time for the band’s date in Arizona on August 25. Metallica would cancel six dates of their tour before returning to the stage.
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