In their first performance since the Back to the Beginning concert, Metallica hosted their smallest gig in over a decade last Thursday.
The band performed to 500 fans in a tent outside the Stephen Talkhouse venue in New York, to celebrate the launch of their new SiriusXM channel ‘Maximum Metallica’.
In an invite-only performance, Metallica opened the show with ‘Creeping Death’ and 90 minutes later, closed with ‘Enter Sandman’. Boy, did they squeeze a lot in, including an Ozzy Osbourne tribute.
During their traditional ‘doodle’ time, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo honoured Ozzy with a rendition of ‘Crazy Train’.
To make matters even sweeter, Hammett was doing it all on the iconic ‘Greeny’ guitar.
Although the crowd was small, the cheering was loud, and it was an epic moment of remembrance for the Prince of Darkness.
Ozzy’s influence on the generation that followed him is no secret. Drummer Lars Ulrich has touched on the “generational element of respect and love” that Metallica has for him and Black Sabbath, saying they defined the era “that helped shape, and ultimately, what we became.”
Metallica were quick to share their tribute to Ozzy on social media after his passing, with a picture of them all alongside Ozzy, simply captioned with a heartbreak emoji.
Rob Trujillo has also been very open on social media about his devastation following Ozzy’s passing, sharing details of their memories and how much Ozzy meant to him.
It goes without saying, Ozzy’s legacy will live on forever, and it’s sick to see the bands honouring that.
