Metallica’s second bassist, Cliff Burton, died in Sweden on September twenty seventh, 1986. Burton had performed on the band’s first three albums, together with what is taken into account to be one in all their greatest efforts, 1984’s Experience the Lightning. Burton sadly died in a bus crash while the band have been touring in Sweden, and the remaining members of Metallica have remembered the final present Burton performed while in Stockholm.
“We’d completed taking part in all of the Odeons in England, that are these previous, 3,000-seat film theatres,” Lars Ulrich remembers. “We received to Scandinavia the place they have been extra like ice-hockey holes – smaller, colder, darker. It was a distinct vibe. We performed the present in Stockholm, and it went extremely properly. It might have been a uncommon case the place we performed a further track that wasn’t on the setlist as a result of the present was so good. That’s not one thing we did quite a bit then or now. So there was an excellent vibe.”
“We did quite a lot of press, and we did a photograph shoot for a Swedish journal referred to as OK, which was virtually like a teenybopper journal,” Ulrich added. “We have been sitting on the bus afterwards, speaking about how cool it was, and Cliff and I have been hanging out, having a beer. It’s somewhat fuzzy now, but it surely was an excellent day.”
The European tour had already suffered some difficulties. James Hetfield had damaged his wrist while skateboarding, which meant he couldn’t play the guitar. Nonetheless, on the Stockholm present, which was to be Burton’s final, Hetfield managed to play the guitar in the course of the set’s remaining track, ‘Blitzkreig’.
“I bear in mind the 5 of us, being actually stoked James was again and taking part in and looking out like was gonna make a fairly wholesome restoration,” Kirk Hammett mentioned of Hetfield’s return. “I distinctly keep in mind that present being good, and the sensation once we received offstage was actually nice and constructive and forward-looking. Like, ‘Nice, James is again in, and it received’t be lengthy ’til we’re again to our previous selves once more.’”
“I bear in mind proper once we have been about to depart within the bus, the followers began operating in direction of us,” Hammett added. “And Cliff mentioned, ‘Take a look at them. They seem like zombies!’ He was manner into zombies. We have been all simply laughing. Then we began taking part in playing cards. And we had an extended, lengthy drive. And everybody is aware of the remainder of it.”
After the Stockholm present, Metallica boarded the tour bus to take them to the subsequent venue. The band members complained that the sleeping preparations on the bus have been considerably uncomfortable, so Hammett and Burton performed a card sport to see who may sleep on whichever bunk they desired. Burton received the sport and slept in one of many bunks Hammett had beforehand occupied.
At round 7am, the bus skidded off the street and Burton was thrown out of the bus window onto the street, the place the bus fell on him, and he tragically died from the affect. The motive force claimed there had been some black ice on the street, however Hetfield additionally accused him of being drunk. Nonetheless, this declare was not backed up, and no fees have been introduced towards the motive force.
Hammett insisted that the most effective factor to do as a band was for them to maintain moving into reminiscence of Burton. “We didn’t know what was up, down or sideways, and we determined that the neatest factor we may do was to maintain going,” Hammett mentioned. “We laid Cliff to relaxation per week or two after the accident, after which there wasn’t 5 minutes after that as a result of if we slowed down, we have been afraid we have been going to vanish into nothingness.”
Ulrich mentioned he was sentimental and reflective following the tragic passing of their pal. “You pause, you mirror, you suppose, you recognize, you’re humbled,” he mentioned. “I transfer so quick via quite a lot of the stuff that I by no means decelerate lengthy sufficient to mirror. And infrequently, while you sit with among the stuff at 2 o’clock within the morning, you go, ‘Wow.’ If you sit there and hearken to the final two songs or take a look at the photographs from the final present with him, it stops you in your tracks as you take care of it. So with issues like that, you pause for a second and consider all of the craziness and ups and downs and the way a lot we miss Cliff, but additionally how lucky we’re to nonetheless be out right here doing it and that individuals nonetheless care.”
Try the complete audio of the fated Stockholm present beneath.
