Lars Ulrich, the drummer for Metallica, recently opened up about his experiences on stage with James Hetfield. The drummer discussed his time with Metallica and friendship while touching on its emotional sides during an interview with the Los Angeles Times. The drummer discussed aging after recently wrapping off the band’s tour in favor of their most recent album, “72 Seasons”: “Everything is confounding. In the band, two of us are banging on the door having just turned 60. As you age, you widen your eyes, take it all in, and become more grateful. However, I find it quite unbelievable that this is still making an impact at the degree that it is. The group is back in South California for the Power Trip Festival’s last performance. Regarding the festival, the drummer said: It feels good to be back. I have great faith in the rock scene, and we have friendships with every single band, both as music lovers and as bandmates.
Despite the personal issues and conflicts depicted in the 2004 documentary “Some Kind Of Monster,” the drummer was questioned about their bond with James Hetfield. Ulrich spoke of their relationship’s emotional side when he said: “We adore being in Metallica more than anything else, and we adore each other. James and I have been together the longest of everyone I’ve ever known, except from my father and a few relatives in Denmark. We’re still out here playing and doing this with Kirk and Rob, so as I turn to look at him, I start to cry. He then discussed playing their biggest event recently and expressed shock that they were still able to connect with so many people: “We did two great gigs at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles a few weeks ago; they were perhaps the biggest events we’ve ever played there and were only about 15 miles from Norwalk, where we started the journey.
That this still resonates with people on such a deep level, especially in the wake of the pandemic, lockdown, and the uncertainty and destruction of that period, is really astounding. The rocker mentioned feeling like he belonged someplace in the scene near the end of the interview and made it obvious that Metallica and Hetfield both contributed to his sense of identity. Ulrich previously told Hetfield that he is lot sweeter and more vulnerable than people believe he is, and that he more than made up for some of his ‘lack of talent.’ The drummer thinks of his bandmate and close buddy as a really nice and kind person.
