Metallica Overcomes Mic Problems During Energetic Duet With Lady Gaga at the Grammys
Metallica soldiered through sound problems during a performance of "Moth into Flame" with Lady Gaga at tonight's Grammy Awards show. Watch fan-shot video of the troubled collaboration below, which followed an embarrassing mishap involving former Metallica member Dave Mustaine.
UPDATE: According to TMZ, James Hetfield's microphone, which was working properly during the line check just before the live performance, was accidentally unplugged by a stagehand just before the band took the stage. By the time they realized and corrected the error, the song was nearly finished.
Hetfield gamely overcame the technical issues, sharing the mic with Gaga for a while. "Moth into Flame" was released last September as the second advance single from Hardwired ... to Self-Destruct – Metallica's long-awaited follow up to 2008’s Death Magnetic.
Gaga gave a prior indication of their song choice when she posted a photo of what appeared to be an incredible new tattoo with the caption: “The Moth & Metallica.” She used the newly created hashtag #MetalliGa.
This isn't the first offbeat Grammy pairing for Metallica. They memorably shared the stage with classical pianist Lang Lang during the 56th annual ceremony in 2014, performing "One" from 1988's ... And Justice for All. Lady Gaga is coming off a well-regarded halftime performance at Super Bowl 51.
Metallica's "Hardwired" earlier finished behind the late David Bowie in the best rock song category. (Their new album arrived too late for consideration in this round of awards.) Megadeth then won their first-ever Grammy, but Mustaine's walk up to accept the award was soundtracked for some reason by Metallica's "Master of Puppets."
The morning after the Grammy performance, Metallica announced a 25-date tour of North America, set to kick off May 10 in Baltimore, MD.
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