It seems that Metallica's Kirk Hammett couldn't be happier about being back on the road, after a six-month break with the band's "M72" world tour. During an appearance on the 45th episode of The Metallica Report, Hammett expressed his enthusiasm for touring and performing live.
"I'm just happy to be out here and bringing the music to the people, man, like I always am. And I'm happy having the feeling of, like, Metallica is a working, touring band, 'cause sometimes I miss that feeling, 'cause I don't believe we tour enough," Hammett said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). "But that's just how it is. So, what I can get out of this, I'm always up for it. It's just, like, 'Yeah, bring it on.' 'Cause this is what it's all about, is playing guitar and writing, recording, going out on tour. It's what it's all about. And I don't feel that there's enough of it in my life right now."
When asked if the "M72" tour felt brand new after their break, Hammett replied that it felt more like a continuation. "Walking out to see the stage yesterday [in Munich, Germany] for the first time in about six months or so, it just felt like a continuation. Everything looks super familiar — familiar stage, familiar monitors, familiar screens, familiar crew, familiar faces, familiar guitars, familiar songs. It's really easy for me to spot right into place."
Hammett also discussed his show preparation routine, highlighting the collaboration with bassist Robert Trujillo and his fitness regimen: "I hook up with Rob during the day with final arrangements for the duets. And I'll make sure I hop on a Peloton for about 20 minutes or so, 'cause I have knee issues, so that pedaling, I have to make sure my knee is nice and strong. And then once I get to the gig, I usually do my usual yoga thing. And my entire day is filled with sporadic guitar playing here and there."
Hammett also emphasized his commitment to staying active despite some physical limitations: "Well, I keep up on my pretty physically active lifestyle anyway. When I'm at home, I am continuously walking or biking, swimming. I can't really run or do any surfing these days 'cause of the aforementioned knee issue. But hopefully, that's just a transitional thing — I know it is a transitional thing. But going into this tour, I was totally ready for it and in shape, which is pretty remarkable considering that I have a lot of responsibility at home and whatnot. But I managed to get it all together miraculously — miraculously so. And so it was just, like, 'Yeah, we're going on tour. I'm ready.'"
Hammett concluded by underscoring his dedication to his craft. "I mean, let's face it. I'm a musician. I'm a guitar player. And so it becomes a huge opportunity, 'cause I play my guitar every day — to be able to get paid for it, yeah, of course I'm gonna… 'Cause I'm gonna be playing my guitar anyway. I might as well get paid for it. [Laughs]"
Hammett is spot on when he refers to Metallica noticeably slowing down their touring activities since the 2010s. While the band once embarked on marathon tours, crisscrossing the globe to the delight of headbangers everywhere, their recent years have seen a shift.
Take a look back at 2009, when Metallica tore through an impressive 95 shows. The following year saw a slight dip to 63 concerts. However, since then, they haven't broken the 50-concert mark annually.
And let’s not even look further back to 1992 when fueled by the massive success of their self-titled album, Metallica embarked on a monster 168-date tour.
