During a recent appearance on “The Metallica Report” podcast, Metallica’s James Hetfield opened up about performing material from the band’s latest album “72 Seasons.” According to him, the group “don’t wanna be a legacy band that just plays their greatest hits.”

Hetfield said the following:
“I think that the confidence, the fact that the ’72 Seasons’ album is well received and some of the songs that we’re playing live work and they kind of fit seamlessly in with all the catalog, all the albums we have. We’re not afraid of it, but we’re not overindulging in it as well. We know people wanna hear the ‘best of’. And you’ve gotta challenge them to listen to some of the new stuff as well, ’cause we certainly don’t wanna be a legacy band that just plays their greatest hits and then that’s it. It’s all a part of it. I think the confidence of us and the stage, being on stage, knowing that, hey, all mistakes are a part of the show. That’s part of what we say before we go out: hey, all mistakes are free. And it’s not a mistake. Really, that word is kind of ridiculous in a way. It’s just a unique way of playing it that night. Everyone gets to enjoy whatever happens right then. And frankly, I think it’s a challenge.”
He also added:
“When a song falls apart, and it could be devastating to other bands, for us, it’s just, ‘Okay. We fucked it up. Let’s start it again.’ Or, ‘Hey, let’s take it from here.’ There’s been times when I’ve edited out a whole middle section and then at the end of the song said, ‘Oh my God, I forgot to play that part here. Let’s just play it for you.’ There’s a freedom up there that the fans allow, there’s a grace that they allow us to be human. So there is a confidence that you can’t go wrong. You just can’t go wrong. You show up and you do your best and you know it’s from the heart.”
[via Blabbermouth]
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