METALLICA guitarist KIRK HAMMETT took an unplanned tumble off the stage during the band's concert at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on Friday, June 19 — and then laughed the whole thing off with a perfectly on-brand pun.
The 63-year-old guitarist was deep into "Seek And Destroy," the 1983 'Kill 'Em All' classic that closed the night, when his foot came down on a section of stage covering that gave way beneath him. Hammett lost his balance near the edge of the stage and dropped down toward the barrier in front of roughly 40,000 fans. He briefly missed a couple of riffs, but he was quickly hauled back up, found his footing and finished the song as though nothing had happened.
Rather than hide the moment, Hammett leaned right into it. He posted video of the spill to Instagram with the caption "Slip & Destroy" — a knowing wink at the very song he was playing when gravity got the better of him. The clip drew a flood of supportive comments from fans relieved that the guitarist had walked away unharmed.
The Dublin date was the first of two shows in the Irish capital on METALLICA's ongoing "M72" world tour. The performances mark the band's first appearances in Dublin since 2009 and their first headline shows in Ireland since 2019, making the stumble a footnote to an otherwise long-awaited homecoming for Irish fans.
Dublin is one of only three European cities on the run hosting two full "No Repeat Weekend" shows, with each night built around a completely different setlist and a different pair of support acts. Friday's openers were PANTERA and AVATAR, while Sunday's bill featured GOJIRA and KNOCKED LOOSE.
The "M72" tour has been staged on an in-the-round configuration with a sprawling stage that surrounds the crowd, giving Hammett plenty of room to roam — and, on this occasion, plenty of edge to misjudge. Mishaps aside, the guitarist's good-humored response was classic Hammett: unbothered, self-deprecating and already turning a near-miss into merchandise-ready wordplay. METALLICA continue the European leg of "M72" through the summer.