Hard rock legends Metallica kicked off their Australian tour in Perth over the weekend – and dropped an Aussie classic into their setlist to mark the occasion.
The iconic rockers played Perth’s Optus Stadium on November 1, and performed some of The John Butler Trio song Zebra midway through their set.
The track is The John Butler Trio’s biggest single, and has been a radio staple since its release back in 2003.
And the surprise inclusion of the song caught the attention of the man himself, John Butler, who shared the moment with his followers on social media.
“Metallica are performing in Boorloo/Perth tonight … I’ve just woken up in London to several texts/vids of them performing Zebra wtaf!?? This is a spin out!! RESPECT,” he wrote.
And backstage, the Aussie love-in continued, with Metallica frontman James Hetfield meeting up with The Wiggles’ founding member Anthony Field.
“The guys had a great laugh remembering when Captain Feathersword sang Enter Sandman at a Wiggles show years ago – James stood up and banged his head in approval,” read a post on The Wiggles’ Instagram account sharing the backstage muso meeting.
But Metallica’s first Australian concert didn’t pass without incident: Two men were arrested after they climbed a central tower during the concert.
It was a rowdy weekend for touring rockers, with Oasis’ huge Melbourne stadium show, held the same night, briefly plunged into chaos when one reveller released a flare into the crowd.
“To the massive C**T who launched that flare into the crowd last night at the gig in Melbourne you are 1 seriously f**ked up individual and you will get yours trust me,” Liam Gallagher tweeted after the show.
Metallica’s Australian tour continues with stadium shows in Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney over the coming days.
Metallica’s M72 Australian tour – night one setlist:
Creeping Death
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Holier Than Thou
Fuel
The Unforgiven
Wherever I May Roam
Kirk and Rob Doodle (with John Butler Trio’s Zebra)
The Day That Never Comes
Moth Into Flame
Sad but True
Nothing Else Matters
Seek & Destroy
Lux Æterna
Master of Puppets
One
Enter Sandman
Read related topics:Perth
