Metallica’s Lars Ulrich on Tour, Streaming Records, and Band Longevity

Lars Ulrich is no stranger to marveling at Metallica’s unlikely ride to the top. As their colossal M-72 tour rolls on, the drummer recently shared some reflections with FOX 10, and let’s just say, humility is still in the air. The man’s keeping it honest: Metallica never thought they’d last this long. According to Ulrich, being on stage after all these years still feels like stepping out for the first time.

“You still feel like the same 18-year-old, 20-year-old, or 30-year-old, just like the old days. Walking out, it’s surreal. We’re 42 years deep into this thing, and the fact that we can still bring fans together and give them something truly shared is something else. We never thought it would be like this. Nowadays, we slow down enough to feel that gratitude, where when you’re young, it’s always about rushing to the next thing. But this—this is crazy,” he shared, emphasizing the difference that age has brought to their perspective.

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Their Load and Reload albums had some fans screaming “sellouts!” because of a bit of a stylistic shift. But then, everyone realized “Fuel” is an earworm and kept listening anyway.

On top of all this touring, Metallica just hit a massive milestone. “Nothing Else Matters” is now their second track to rack up one billion streams on Spotify—a wild achievement for a bunch of kids who, back in the day, were just hoping to get some traction in the music world.

The tour has had its bumps, though. James Hetfield caught COVID-19, forcing Metallica to reschedule their No Repeat Weekend tour date in Arizona. Originally set for September 3, they’ve pushed the Glendale show to September 9 at State Park Stadium.

Oh yeah babe, here we are. Four decades in, still seeing those billion-stream milestones, still packing stadiums. And Ulrich? He’s still out there, drumming up the same energy from his youth but with a bit more grace to savor it all.