The mid-set “doodle” has become one of the most fun and unpredictable parts of a Metallica concert, and the band has certainly kept fans guessing this year. These impromptu covers, usually performed by guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo, have ranged from paying respects to metal royalty to shining a spotlight on local heroes.
The most recent highlight came from down under, where Metallica opened their Australian tour on November 1st at Optus Stadium in Perth. As part of their medley, Hammett and Trujillo included a rough, but affectionate, rendition of “Zebra” by Aussie roots rockers The John Butler Trio, alongside a cover of Budgie‘s “Crash Course In Brain Surgery.”
The nod was clearly noticed by the local scene. John Butler himself was so stunned by the tribute that he felt compelled to respond, and he did so in the most unique way possible. Taking to his Instagram, Butler served up a cover of Metallica’s own 9x platinum smash, “Enter Sandman,” but performed it on a Chaturangui, a type of Indian slide guitar.
He sounded genuinely overwhelmed, writing:
“@metallica Enter Sandman, but make it John Butlery It’s taken me a minute to pull my shit together after Metallica covered my song Zebra last weekend in Perth/Boorloo… I thought I’d tackle one of their lesser known tracks, I hope you like it..”
A few months earlier, the duo used the “doodle” to deliver a tribute to a true icon. In August, to celebrate the launch of their new year-round SiriusXM channel, Maximum Metallica, the band played their most intimate show in years at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, New York.
Playing to an exclusive club crowd—which, bizarrely, featured celebrities like Paul McCartney and Sylvester Stallone—Hammett and Trujillo surprised everyone by tearing into a jam of Ozzy Osbourne’s signature track, “Crazy Train.”
The cover was particularly poignant for Trujillo, given his time playing bass in Ozzy’s solo band. The inclusion of the classic metal anthem in a tiny, club setting was a perfect blend of Metallica’s past and present, proving that whether they are playing for 500 people in a tent or 50,000 in a stadium, their spontaneous musical shout-outs are here to stay.
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