Staying hydrated is an important part of performing live, and for Metallica frontman James Hetfield that can be difficult as he sings and plays guitar at the same time. His proposal: a microphone with a built-in straw.
In a recent episode of the band’s official weekly podcast, The Metallica Report, hosted by Steffan Chirazi and Renée Richardson, Hetfield was asked if any innovations can be made to Metallica’s stage show as the band continues its “M72 World Tour” in 2024.
“The way our stage is — and me being a guitar player and singer — I’m not holding the mic,” remarked Hetfield. “I’m not able to go anywhere. So there’s mic stations everywhere. And for our monitor guy to chase me around to all the mics, he can’t have them all open, ’cause it sounds insane, especially in an indoor stadium … It would be nice to have some kind of [device] where [I’m] wearing something and if [I’m] within two feet of the microphone, it turns it on.”
He then added, “That, and be able to maybe sip some water while I’m playing, some kind of straw on the microphone … I don’t know, something else like that. There’s always something that could be cool.”
Of course, here’s where we hit you with the song puns: “Sip & Destroy,” “Liquid Fuel,” “Creeping Thirst,” “For Whom the Straw Tolls” … we could go on.
Here’s hoping someone invents a mic with a built-in straw in time for Metallica’s 2024 tour dates, which include another North American run. Pick up tickets to the band’s upcoming concerts here.
Metallica were just named Consequence‘s Heavy Band of the Year for 2023, featuring an exclusive interview with guitarist Kirk Hammett. The band also made our lists of the 30 Best Metal & Hard Rock Albums of 2023 and 30 Best Metal & Hard Rock Songs of 2023.
See a photo gallery from Metallica’s 2023 North American tour kickoff and hear James Hetfield talking about adding a straw to his microphone in Episode 22 of The Metallica Report below.
Photo Gallery – Metallica and support acts at MetLife Stadium August 4th and 6th, starting with the Sunday pics first (click to expand and scroll through):