The excursion Of all the things that Lars Ulrich was most pleased of playing, he said, “That was so unprecedented”
Metallica prioritized the traveling lifestyle above all other aspects of their lives. As much as people like to talk about getting the sonics correct whenever they enter the studio, the thrash icons were the epitome of the term “road dogs” every time they had the opportunity to perform on stage. They typically gave every single headliner a run for their money anytime they were on stage. When Lars Ulrich was working with Guns N’ Roses, he was able to bring together two of the most popular bands on a single bill. Despite the fact that things may occasionally become unpleasant on the road, he remained unwaveringly pleased of this accomplishment.
On the other hand, when their ideas are compared, it becomes clear that the two bands couldn’t have been more different from one another. Metallica were just seeking to kick ass and take names wherever they went, regardless of whether there was a market for it or not. They did perform different flavors of hard rock music, but the moment they came out onstage, Metallica were just looking to do that.
Guns N’ Roses were the same way, but they were just as destructive to themselves as they were to anyone who paid for a ticket to see them perform. Metallica presumably understood that they had their hands busy when they signed on with Slash and Axl Rose because they made for an electrifying pair onstage. However, the moment Rose decided that he needed to be treated like a king in order to sing properly before a gig, Metallica almost certainly realized that they had their hands full.
Even James Hetfield recalled how difficult it was to deal with Rose while they were traveling. There was a lot of hassle involved. After Hetfield accidentally burned himself ablaze just a few hours before they took the stage, it was not going to be acceptable to hear him tell people in Montreal that his voice was giving him trouble. This was the case regardless of how many times someone has tried to provide excuses for their performance.
Ulrich, on the other hand, believed that this was the way rock and roll was supposed to be. There was something almost punk rock about the way that they conducted themselves, typically never going along with the program unless it meant disrupting someone else’s plans for what they thought a show should be. This was despite the fact that they had a tendency to just cut shows midway through their set or fly blind throughout each and every show.
Consequently, Ulrich recalled feeling proud to make such a significant imprint, despite the fact that many of their performances turned out to be a shitshow. He told Kerrang, “Metallica and Guns N’ Roses found a way to connect to fans outside of [that] and went out together in unity for the fans.” I was very thrilled that we were able to make that tour a reality because it was so cool and it was something that had never been done before. Every single one of those guys is a friend of mine, and we just had a great time together.
Even if it was enjoyable, it turned out to be disastrous as Guns N’ Roses got back to their hometown. Metallica was accustomed to spending extended periods of time on the road, but after traveling around the world twice, the rock band from Los Angeles returned home thoroughly exhausted by Rose’s antics. They were only able to record one more album before leaving the lead vocalist in the dust with a completely different lineup.
It’s possible that the audience received their money’s worth at a few of those events, but there is a significant cost associated with putting together anything of that magnitude. The road always steals a bit of the soul, and by the time the final note rang out on the final night, Guns N’ Roses were practically a husk of themselves. This is despite the fact that they displayed a great deal of flair during the tour.