LARS ULRICH Looks Back On METALLICA's Appearance At FREDDIE MERCURY Tribute Concert

Lars Ulrich has recalled METALLICA's participation in the "incredible" tribute concert to QUEEN vocalist Freddie Mercury, which was held on April 20, 1992 in London. The event, officially known as "The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert For AIDS Awareness", remains the largest concert held in tribute to a deceased musician. The 72,000 tickets for the London Wembley Stadium were sold out within a few hours — even though none of the performers of the concert had been announced yet, apart from the remaining members of QUEEN.

METALLICA opened the show and was followed by artists George Michael and Elton John. Annie Lennox and David Bowie teamed up on the song "Under Pressure". Later on, METALLICA's James Hetfield sang QUEEN's "Stone Cold Crazy" with members of the latter group (with an assist from BLACK SABBATH's Tony Iommi on guitar).

On Sunday, Lars took to his Instagram to post a photo of him taken on that day nearly three decades as the stage was being prepared for the evening's festivities. He wrote in an accompanying message: "27 years ago today, we were beyond psyched and humbled to be a part of the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness at Wembley Stadium in London. We kicked off the festivities with Sandman, Sad & Nothing and later, JH played Stone Cold Crazy with Queen and Tony Iommi!

"Incredible day with incredible tributes to Freddie from a wide range of artists including bands like Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard and Extreme and a load of guest singers like George Michael, Lisa Stansfield, David Bowie, Annie Lennox, Robert Plant, Elton John, Roger Daltrey and many more!
Unbelievable vibes everywhere on this special occasion."

"The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert For AIDS Awareness" was broadcast in 76 countries, and about one billion people watched the show live. All proceeds were donated to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charity organization that had been launched in Freddie's name to combat AIDS.