METALLICA Likes To Surprise People At Intimate Shows, Says ROBERT TRUJILLO

METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo was recently interviewed by Stu, Tiffany and Jimbo of 96.7 KCAL FM. You can now listen to the chat below.

Speaking about METALLICA's decision to play several intimate shows to launch the touring cycle for the band's new album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", Trujillo said: "Well, traditionally, at least as long as I've been in this band, and it's gonna be fourteen years coming up here pretty quick, we've been doing small gigs. And the reason for that is just kind of, like, to explore some of the newer songs, to also reconnect in an intimate setting, which is really cool."

He continued: "These gigs are fun, man. We've learned a lot about, actually, just interacting and being together. 'Cause sometimes on those massive stages, you get removed from each other. You might cross paths every twenty minutes or something… But it's also great, because you can actually really feel the energy from… I mean, you always feel the energy from the crowd — don't get me wrong — but in an intimate setting, there's just something that can be really extra special. Like, at Webster Hall in New York City, we played 'Orion', basically for Cliff Burton [late METALLICA bassist], and you can just feel the energy of the room. And it was cool, 'cause it was spontaneous. We had, basically, gone over the song backstage and then went through it one time, a couple of times, and played it. So magic things like that… You never know what to expect. That's where you bust out an old-school track that maybe we haven't played in a long time, or you get into… you surprise people."

METALLICA played a special intimate show on December 15 at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood, California.

Tickets were first sold to fan club members for $25 each through a lottery system, and then to the public for $100 each. All proceeds were pledged to benefit the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Fans were also encouraged to bring canned foods and non-perishable items to the show for donation as well. METALLICA last month played a similar show in Toronto, with proceeds also going to a food bank in that city.

"Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 291,000 copies in its first week of release.

The album consists of two discs, containing a dozen songs and nearly 80 minutes of music.