Tom Dunne: I'm delighted to see that Mandatory Metallica Weekend is back in my life

Irish Examiner

4 days ago

Metallica are coming. Two dates back-to-back in June 2026 with two completely different sets each night. A sound system that has set off seismic warnings and new meaning to 360-degree viewing. 2024 had Taylor, 2025 will be Oasis, 2026 will belong to Metallica.
Quite how big Metallica are was revealed to me back in 1997. Something Happens were on an East Coast US tour, during the good old days when it didn't really matter who the president was, at least not by today's standards. It was Bill Clinton, seeing as you asked.
The nadir of his presidency was a forthright declaration of 'I did not have sex with that woman.' It turned out the definition of what constituted 'sex' was a moot point. A stained dress said otherwise. Today, it looks like small potatoes. He wasn't exactly threatening Canada.
We did that tour in a proper old-fashioned van, the type David Grohl says all bands must spend time if they want to be a 'real' band. A splitter van with the equipment in the back section and the band, forlorn and uncomfortable up front, behind the driver.
To heighten our discomfort our driver/roadie/soundman was a Metallica fan. But he had a special skill: No matter where we were he could find a radio station playing Metallica. Sometimes stations that played ONLY Metallica! The phrase 'It's another Mandatory Metallica Weekend' haunts me still.
It made for an interesting time. I came to realise that Metallica are not a band. They are a religion, a way of life, a universe. The new documentary Metallica Saved My Life, that accompanies the M72 world tour says it all. Fans tell their stories and yes, Metallica sometimes literally saved their lives.
They are a fascinating band. Lars Ulrich – Metallica's Larry Mullen, the man who posted the note seeking like-minded souls – came to LA from Denmark to hopefully become a professional tennis player like his dad and his dad before him. It was a Deep Purple gig, aged 12, that scuppered that plan.
The ad attracted the attention of James Hetfield. Hetfield's family were Christian Scientists and disapproved of modern medicine and medical treatments. When his mum fell ill with cancer she did not seek treatment.
It's interesting that he (at 16), John Lennon (at 17), Paul McCartney (at 14), Bono (at 14) and Ray Charles (at 15) all lost their mums at that crucial part of their growing up. Hetfield's revisiting of that time ( The God that Failed and Until it Sleeps) produced some of Metallica's most powerful work.
They also had a small Pete Best moment. Pete was famously dismissed from The Beatles and replaced with Ringo just as EMI dangled a contract. In 1981, as Metallica prepared to record their debut they fired guitarist Dave Mustaine, citing his issues with drink and drugs.
They replaced him – on the same day – with Kirk Hammett, who is still with them. It's worth noting that Mustaine did not do a Pete Best and disappear from view. He set out to get revenge and formed Megadeath, who have since sold 50 million albums. Some might say it was the motivation he needed.
Since then, there has been tragedy – the death of bassist Cliff Burton in a bus crash after they had drawn straws for bunks – and controversy a go-go. But with hindsight, those controversies look more the result of great wisdom with every passing day.
Their first was a run in with the nascent Napster. Metallica were one of the very first bands to discover that their entire back catalogue was being disseminated for free. Their threat to 'sue fans' was a bad look in 2001. But at this point with streaming destroying livelihoods, I'm not so sure.
Their second was the decision in 2002 to get in therapists during the recording of the St Anger album. Hetfield had gone into rehab and relations were strained in the band. Some saw seeking help as a sign of weakness amongst such apparently rock-hard men. Well, how very 20th century of those people.
If I had a penny for every band whose lifespan was shortened or whose creative output was destroyed by intra-band tensions, grudges, immaturities, substance abuse, or pure pig-headedness, I would have a lot of pennies. The Clash to name but one.
It is a testament to that wisdom that Metallica will be one of the music events of 2026. I for one can't wait. Mandatory Metallica, I have missed you.