“They Showed Me What I Don’t Ever Want to Become”: Jason Newsted Reflects on Metallica’s Co-Headlining Tour with Guns N’ Roses

Jason Newsted joined Metallica at a pivotal moment in the band’s history. He was stepping into late bassist Cliff Burton’s place ahead of the production of their 1988 album …And Justice for All. Three years after releasing Justice, they unleashed their self-titled album, which skyrocketed the band to mainstream acclaim. This led to massive touring engagements, including a co-headlining North American stadium tour with Guns N’ Roses. Newsted recently revealed the tour taught him several important lessons.

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Newsted was no stranger to being in a band when he joined Metallica. He played bass in the Arizona-based thrash metal band Flotsam and Jetsam for five years and wrote the majority of the lyrics for their 1986 album Doomsday for the Deceiver. However, there’s no denying that stepping into Burton’s role elevated his career. As a result, he was still learning the ins and outs of the business when they launched the co-headlining tour with Guns N’ Roses in 1992. He talked about the lessons he learned with Loudwire.

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“Touring-wise, that was quite an opportunity for us,” Jason Newsted said of Metallica’s tour with Guns N’ Roses. “We chose to play first, of course, because we wanted to play on time. We deliver. It’s like going on at 8:01. We’re on at 8:01. That’s the way it’s always been, that’s why they’re who they are. That’s why Metallica’s still touring now and crushing everybody and selling more records,” he added.

“So they played after us and whenever they decided to come on stage, they’d come on stage,” he said of Guns N’ Roses. “We had 30 minutes late, an hour late, two hours late. Whatever time that homeboy decided to come on, or his psychic said he could come on, or whatever the hell happened,” he recalled.

The lessons he learned from Guns N’ Roses were on “What not to do,” he said. “I’ve always said that about this particular tour. They showed me what I don’t ever want to become,” Newsted explained. “Looking down on people who look up to you, worst thing you can do. Worst thing you can do, especially in this business. I saw them do that a lot and I didn’t like it.”

Without getting into the details, Newsted added, “Those guys just pulled stuff that was not okay, just not savory.” Then, he pointed out what all of that led to for Guns N’ Roses. “As a band, they were powerful for about three and a half years and really had their sharp teeth. After that, it fell apart.”

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