Watch Metallica Nail ‘Enter Sandman’ on ‘Late Late Show’
“Here tonight is a band who are the runner-up on American Idol, wasn’t it fellas,” Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson joked introducing Metallica on the penultimate night of the metal gods’ week-long residency. With only two nights left, Metallica decided to bust out “one of their signature tunes,” as Ferguson put it, “a song called ‘Enter Sandman.'”
There’s nothing flashy about this version of their biggest Black Album track — just another polished, kick-ass performance by a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band that’s been doing it now for over three decades (although James Hetfield seems to really relish the moments where he laughs after the chorus). For the fourth consecutive night, Kirk Hammett thrashed away at a guitar emblazoned with a graphic of actor Boris Karloff as the Mummy, a reminder of Hammett’s passion for horror movie memorabilia.
Metallica kicked off their Late Late Show residency Monday night with a performance of “Hit the Lights,” the first track they’d ever recorded together. Tuesday night showcased a rendition of “Fuel” and Wednesday featured “For Whom the Bells Tolls” off Ride the Lightning, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
Ferguson will depart the Late Late Show on December 19th. “What better way to celebrate Craig’s awesome tenure at CBS than to come and shake the rafters for a whole week,” drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone. “Nothing to sell, nothing to promote (except a reissue DVD)…purely hanging at Craig’s personal request. Bring it!” The band’s 10th anniversary Blu-ray edition of Some Kind of Monster is out November 24th.
In addition to the DVD reissue, Metallica will also celebrate Record Store Day on November 28th with a 12″ vinyl featuring their latest song “Lords of Summer,” which premiered during their By Request tour. The 12″ will feature both the studio and a live version of the track on its A-side, while the B-side will house a laser etching of the band’s trademark “M” logo. “It won’t play on your turntable, but it looks pretty damn cool,” the band wrote on their official site.