Taking a rough fall is like a rite of passage for any artist performing. They’ll be in the zone, lost in the music, and captivating their audience. Then, all of a sudden, they’re crashing onto the ground. Sometimes, it’s dramatic enough that the show has to end; other times, it’s just a little embarrassing and disorganized. For Kirk Hammett and Metallica, performing across 45 years means that a rough tumble is an inevitability.
Now, at 63 years old, Hammett took a stumble overseas. During a headlining concert in Dublin, Ireland, Metallica was right in the thick of “Seek And Destroy”, and the legendary lead guitarist was strutting up and down the stage. As he was smiling and approaching the edge of the stage to show off, he put his foot on a flimsy stage cover. Then, the unfortunate slip happens, and Kirk Hammett takes an ugly fall.
The stumble didn’t deter him too much, though. He steadily recovered and closed out the song, ending the first of two massive shows in Dublin. Additionally, Hammett had a pretty good sense of humor about the whole affair. He reposted fan footage and laughed off the incident by captioning the fall as “Slip And Destroy”.
A self-proclaimed “slip & destroy.”
Kirk Hammett took a spill onstage during Metallica’s headlining set in Dublin last night, right in the middle of “Seek & Destroy.” Multiple angles of the moment are already making the rounds online.
Footage via eduffy_1998 pic.twitter.com/WeB1PHYiTw— Rock Feed
(@RockFeedNet) June 20, 2026
Kirk Hammett Tumbles After Stage Cover Slip-up at Metallica Show in Ireland
Despite any unfortunate stumbles, Metallica as a whole has been making history with their gigantic concerts. On May 31st, they celebrated the “biggest EVER show” after a massive 94,000 fans showed up to rock out with them at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany. “Night after night, city after city, the Metallica Family is bringing it!” they wrote on Instagram, thanking their fans.
Additionally, for James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and co., the band is coming back to the U.S. after the European leg of their M72 tour. Back on their home turf, they’ll head to Las Vegas and hold a residency at The Sphere, which immediately sold out. Naturally, the band was blown away by their fans’ enthusiasm.
“Thank You, Sphere Fans! Wow! What a week,” Metallica wrote to their fans. “We are so appreciative and grateful to all of you for the incredible response to our upcoming ‘Life Burns Faster’ residency at Sphere in Las Vegas. We are completely and utterly blown away and cannot believe that we will have 24 amazing nights on stage there, all thanks to you and a record-breaking week.”
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