Legendary metal frontman James Hetfield was born in Downey, California, aka the “Mexican Beverly Hills,” on this day in 1963. Hetfield is widely known as the singer and rhythm guitarist of Metallica, one of the “Big Four” successful and massively influential thrash metal bands of the 1980s. He co-founded Metallica with drummer Lars Ulrich in 1981, after answering Ulrich’s classified ad.
Hetfield’s music journey dates back to high school in the late 70s. His first band, Obsession, was a short-lived hard rock tribute act. He then formed a Rush cover band named Syrinx. Hetfield then formed Phantom Lord, which later became Leather Charm before co-founding Metallica. As short-lived as these groups were, he’s been fronting Metallica for the past 45 years.
The metalhead shows no signs of slowing down at 63 years old. Following the release of Metallica’s eleventh album, 72 Seasons, the band embarked on a massive world tour. The M72 World Tour began in April 2023 with 99 shows across 26 countries. The World Tour concluded on July 5, 2026, after three years.
Metallica sets its sights on Las Vegas residency at the Sphere
The Las Vegas Sphere is about to host a 24-concert Metallica residency called Life Burns Faster. The Sphere has recently hosted residencies by bands and artists such as U2, Dead & Company, Eagles, and, currently, the Backstreet Boys. Metallica’s run starts on October 1, 2026, and will run into 2027, wrapping up on March 13. The legendary metal group will carry over their signature “no repeat weekend” format, where the band doesn’t repeat a song in the setlist from Thursday through Saturday each weekend.
Metallica’s iconic Master Of Puppets album turns 40 this year, released in 1986. It was the band’s first gold-certified release and was supported by the Damage Inc. Tour. On the tour, the band famously opened for Ozzy Osbourne for five months. James Hetfield broke his wrist during a skateboarding accident during the tour, which led to a few canceled dates. Their guitar tech, John Marshall, stepped in to fill the rhythm guitar role.
Their 1996 album, Load, turns 30 this year and marked the band’s shift away from thrash metal. Metallica leaned heavily into alternative and hard rock for the release, while sporting new haircuts that caused massive outrage among metalheads. The shocking haircuts led many 1990s bands to follow suit shortly after.
Photo by Mike Lewis Photography/Redferns
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