METALLICA's KIRK HAMMETT Says 'Big Four' Tour Won't Happen

Shaffee and El Jefe of the WKLS Project 9-6-1 96.1 FM radio station conducted an interview with METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett prior to the band's October 4, 2009 concert at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Watch the chat in two parts below.

When asked about the rumors that METALLICA was assembling a tour that would feature the "Big Four" of the 1980s underground thrash metal scene — itself, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX — Kirk replied, "That tour is not gonna happen. I've been hearing that, we've all been hearing that for awhile. I get asked [about] it regularly. And as far as a tour going on, it's not gonna happen. Conflicting schedules, conflicting personalities, [a lot of] conflicting things. It's a good idea, though. And personally, I can see the significance of playing a tour like that, but... it's not gonna happen."

(Listen to Kirk talking about the "Big Four" tour rumors by clicking on the audio player below.)

In a September 29, 2009 interview with Cindy Scull of the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas radio station 97.1 The Eagle Rocks, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich stated about the "Big Four" tour rumors, "As far as I know, we haven't talked to anybody about it; we've talked about it amongst ourselves. And, obviously, because you get sort of caught up in the rumor of the whole thing, so I get asked about it four times a day in interviews.

"It certainly could be fun, if everybody would be up for it; certainly we would be up for it. But it's not something that's imminent; it's not something that's being discussed for January. Everybody's got their own schedules and everybody's doing their thing, but at some point, of course, in the right situation, I think it could be super-fun.

"Listen, the guys in METALLICA certainly are all about nostalgia, all about lineage, all about making the fans understand how things, sort of, came to be, and connect the dots and all that type of stuff, so I would definitely be up for that. But I haven't made any phone calls yet. [Laughs] But we'll see what happens. I'm sure it definitely could happen one day."

METALLICA guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield also commented on the "Big Four" tour rumors in a September 28, 2009 interview with Cindy Scull. "Sounds like a good idea, huh?" he said. "Well, it's really up to everybody [to make it happen]. We don't know. It's one of these nostalgic ideas that pops up. . . We don't know; we haven't really taken it any steps further. . . You know what?! Music transcends all kinds of B.S., so if it's something that feels right, then hopefully it could happen."

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Part 2: