Metallica Detail Covid-19 Safety Precautions Taken While Filming Live Drive-In Show
It’s not quite the same as a concert, but it’s still a pretty cool idea: Metallica will be teaming up with hundreds of outdoor movie theaters and drive-ins across America on August 29 to broadcast a live performance. It’s not fully “live,” in truth — the set was pre-recorded at an undisclosed location in the Bay Area — but it’s as as good a way as any for metalheads to let off some steam from this bizarre, hot, concert-less summer, and it’s an experience exclusive to that event. The band filmed their set last week, and now it’s up to the video and audio pros to get it into broadcast-ready shape.
Speaking to Kerrang!, drummer Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett shared some details about what it was like to film a live show in such a bizarre setting, and they also explained the safety precautions that were taken to protect everyone involved against Covid-19.
Said Ulrich of the vibe in the room:
“It’s great to be playing again, great to be back together with the fellas. There weren’t as many people as we’re used to, but the joy of playing together and getting the chance to play at any level kind of supersedes any of that. So now we’re just riding high on the fact that it’s still possible to connect with each other at the moment. We’ll get it into the drive-ins, see what happens, then continue to experiment and reach as many fans as possible in the best ways we can. And it was good to get out of the house!”
Explained Hammett of the safety measures the band took when filming:
“We had to take COVID tests every other day before it, and everyone in the entire building had to wear a mask. It’s just something you have to do, but considering the alternative [doing nothing], I’d still rather do this than any other way. It felt really good to play again, to interact with each other and create energy together.”
In addition to the drive-in event, Metallica have been staying engaged with their fans throughout quarantine, releasing concert videos from their archive on their YouTube channel every Monday and putting out the recorded version of their S&M2 performance last fall (coming on August 28).
Bassist Robert Trujillo recently said that Metallica are working on new music over the internet while in quarantine, echoing Lars Ulrich’s earlier comments that the band would look at doing that if the isolation dragged on.
