Fans rock out to Metallica’s drivein film
Robert Trujillo has played his fair share of unusual gigs.
As the bassist for Metallica, he’s previously plugged in for sets everywhere from Antarctica to San Quentin State Prison. But several weeks ago, Trujillo and his bandmates embarked on arguably their most difficult quest to date: filming a new performance for fans during a pandemic.
“It was a humbling experience,” Trujillo told The Chronicle during a phone interview before the premiere of the concert film at drivein theaters across the nation over the weekend. “Metallica has always been larger than life, but here we are playing a winery out in the middle of Sonoma County. It was like being in junior high school again where you’re playing the local schoolyard and you’re slipping all over the place. It had a bit of that vibe.”
Filmed in secret only weeks ago at Sonoma’s Gundlach Bundschu Winery, the process to put the film together involved following strict COVID19 safety measures that required keeping things to a skeleton crew. All parties, including each member of Metallica, were required to take multiple coronavirus tests. Trujillo estimated he took seven.
Several days of rehearsal was also necessary, given that the band’s last performance together was nearly a year ago. After their “S&M2” concerts with the San Francisco Symphony to open Chase Center in September, planned European concerts and festival dates were postponed — initially when frontman James Hetfield entered a rehabilitation program last fall, then again with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
With the release of “S&M2” both as an album as well as a fulllength film just the day before, the timing for the start of a next chapter was set.
If not ideal, this was, in essence, Metallica’s big return.
The significance of the occasion was not lost on carloads of fans who filled a section of the Alameda County Fairgrounds on Saturday, Aug. 29, to watch Metallica tear through two hours of material spanning their nearly 40year career. Other screenings were hosted locally at driveins in Sonoma, Concord and Sacramento as part of the Encore DriveIn Nights concert film series, with each ticket for the drivein date including four digital downloads of “S&M2.” Tickets cost $115 per vehicle, with up to six people in a car.
Parked in rows facing either side of a large inflatable screen, ticket holders were asked to wear masks unless actively eating or drinking. Portable chairs, cold beers and plenty of groups of friends and family decked out in Metallica merchandise made for quite a tailgate party. A fans walked through the aisles once the film was playing, a Kirk Hammett guitar solo could be followed from vehicle to vehicle as FM radio provided the soundtrack. With no external
amplification, the night air was instead filled by a patchwork orchestra of car stereos.
It wasn’t a concert, but it was more than a movie too.
Lauren DeVine, 43, of Livermore took in the show with some of her bandmates in Flock of Seagirls, a Bay Area, allfemale tribute band to female rockers of the ’80s.
“I think it’s phenomenal that they can pull this off and do something like this during a pandemic,” DeVine said, noting that she hasn’t been able to play live since March.
Words failed 5yearold Benjamin Butler of Brentwood, who arrived at the show with his own miniature toy guitar in hand. His parents, who declined to be named, expressed gratitude for a chance to spend a night out together as a family to celebrate Benjamin’s birthday. If nonverbal, the young fan’s enthusiasm for a late set rendition of “Master of Puppets” (his favorite, his father confirmed) was unmistakable.
Despite the gap in their normally scheduled shredding, Trujillo noted that the pandemic has actually brought the members of the Metallica family closer together as well.
“The four of us (now) have this weekly chat,” he said. “It’s really not even centered around music. It’s actually us checking on each other and on our families and making sure we’re OK.”
While acknowledging the uncertainty of what lies ahead for live music, Trujillo said he’s thankful for being about to pull off another first in Metallica’s long history of doing what’s never been done before.
“It was a little bit of a challenge,” he said, “but at the same time, it was the experience that I think we needed. It brought us together and back in the same room. I think it also set our path for the near future in terms of creating new music and bonding on new ideas. Whether that’s through Zoom or — hopefully — inperson, It definitely got us back on the horse with creativity and the collaborative spirit.”