Metallica member Kirk Hammett has talked about getting a lift from David Bowie when the guitarist didn’t have transport to a hotel.
The interaction took place following a Bowie concert in Kansas City, which Hammett had been invited to by the singer’s tour manager (and Metallica’s former tour manager), Ian Jeffrey.
After the gig, Hammett, who didn’t have any way to get back to his hotel, was approached by Bowie in his tour bus. The pair just so happened to be staying at the exact same spot.
Hammett has now reflected in a new video published on the Metallica Instagram page (transcribed by Metal Hammer): “Tour bus comes up, and I had seen David Bowie in the gym earlier that day […] stops, door opens up, and David Bowie’s head comes up and goes, ‘What are you guys doing? You want a ride to the hotel?’”
The guitarist continues: “I was like, ‘Oh my god… We don’t have our ride! We were gonna catch a cab! Can we get a ride with you?’ Dave’s like, ‘Yeah, come on!’
“We sit down and there he is, just like, ‘Hey!’, baseball cap on. So funny, so personable and so goofy.”
Hammett also wrote about the interaction in a blog post that he made following the death of Bowie in January 2016, age 69.
“I felt like one of those guys in Wayne’s World,” Hammett said in the post of that memorable bus ride.
“We go up the steps, turn into the lounge and there’s David with a huge grin on his face saying, ‘Sit down, sit down.’
“Rob [Trujillo, Metallica bassist] and I sat down, once again the fan boy stuff came out, and I cannot remember all the details but we did talk about stuff like music and his love for the Dandy Warhols.
“I also remember apologizing to him, saying, ‘Sorry David for nicking the title Leper Messiah [which was originally a lyric in Bowie’s 1972 song Ziggy Stardust], and he was laughing.”
Hammett also wrote about, earlier that evening, meeting Bowie backstage immediately after his concert.
“He came out, wearing sweats and a t-shirt, and said, ‘Hi how ya doing Kirk, hi Rob!’
“I couldn’t believe it! And then all the fanboy stuff came out, how he’d been an inspiration, blah blah blah.
“He said he’d known about us for a long time, liked our music and told us to carry on! Rob and I were beaming.”
Metallica are currently in the middle of a short break in their M72 world tour, but will return to the road for a run through Europe from May to July. The band will then perform in North America from August to September.
The full list of upcoming Metallica dates is available below, with tickets on sale via their website.
Metallica 2024 tour dates:
May 24: Munich Olympiastadion, Germany
May 26: Munich Olympiastadion, Germany
May 29: Milan I-Days Festival, Italy
Jun 01: Vienna Racino Rocks Festival, Austria
Jun 07: Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Finland
Jun 09: Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Finland
Jun 14: Copenhagen Parken Stadium, Denmark
Jun 16: Copenhagen Parken Stadium, Denmark
Jun 26: Oslo Tons Of Rock Festival, Norway
Jun 29: Clisson Hellfest, France
Jul 05: Warsaw PGE Narodowy, Poland
Jul 07: Warsaw PGE Narodowy, Poland
Jul 12: Madrid Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, Spain
Jul 14: Madrid Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, Spain
Aug 02: Foxborough Gillette Stadium, MA, USA
Aug 04: Foxborough Gillette Stadium, MA, USA
Aug 09: Chicago Soldier Field, IL, USA
Aug 11: Chicago Soldier Field, IL, USA
Aug 16: Minneapolis US Bank Stadium, MN, USA
Aug 18: Minneapolis US Bank Stadium, MN, USA
Aug 23: Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium, Canada
Aug 25: Edmonton Commonwealth Stadium, Canada
Aug 30: Seattle Lumen Field, WA, USA
Sep 01: Seattle Lumen Field, WA, USA
Sep 20: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 22: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 27: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
Sep 29: Mexico City Foro Sol, Mexico
