Metallica’s James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett showed up at Oracle Park to support the San Francisco Giants by performing a rendition of the U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” to kick off the game.
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Hatfield covered rhythm guitar, while Kirk delivered the recognizable leads around the classic anthem. Dressed in their ‘City Connect” Giants t-shirts, the pair played on matching guitars and amps mixing the the Metallica and Giants logos and the San Francisco’s Golden Gate in the design.
Metallica has long been associated with sports teams in their hometown of San Francisco, and their connection to the Bay Area area, which was a major lifeline of the thrash metal scene when they started out in the early 1980s.
The band first partnered with the Giants in 2013 —with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to COVID —and each year has been involved with the games each year. In 2020, the duo shared a remote rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” for the Giants.
“It’s a tradition that we’ve missed the last two seasons, so we’re really excited for the return of Metallica Night at Oracle Park with our hometown baseball team, the San Francisco Giants,” stated the band in the official game announcement. “This year marks the eighth time we’ll take the field for the national anthem, first pitch, and a few other pre-game shenanigans.”
Though Hetfield, who also threw out the first pitch, and Hammett were performing, drummer Lars Ulrich and bassist Robert Trujillo were also involved in the game kick-off. Ulrich announced the lineup, and Trujilo exchanged the lineup card and announced “Play Ball,” before the national anthem performance.
The Giants beat the Mets 13-12.
Photo: MLB
