This was 1989 Grammys, Michael Jackson, Iggy Pop, Rod Stewart, Santana, Eric Clapton, Iggy Pop, Phil Collins, etc were in the crowd watching James Hetfield's roaring like a rabid wolf. Greatest performance ever.
Are missed for you and 35 others, Trujillo was the missing link after Burton died and not Jason, sorry buddy but I NEVER liked Jason. Trujillo is badass for Metallica! Rip Cliff you made Metallica.
@@laudreport3798 it's one comment on one video out of tens of thousands. The number of likes I got doesn't represent the Metallica masses in any way. You're in the minority bud.
@@the6ig6adwolf I don't think so homie, you and the very few are obsessed with Jason. I actually understand why he was hazed so badly (Not a good thing, but hey)
The moment James switches from unsecure nervous to "fuck this shit let's break this place up" is probably one of the most historical moments in metal. Not because it's Metallica, but because it is the first time a metal band showed the real energy and a standing point to a wider audience which was, at that time, used to shinny-smiling-happy-hippy pop-rock bands. They showed them that it is not about the stage, it is not about the lightning, it is not about the smile on the face, it is not about shiny clothes, it is not about the movement on the stage or dance - it is just about unleashing the pure energy into the crowd, without any distractions.
I think it was a wise warm up. They had to build up these people to this epicness! Every musician understands that you need to prepare people for the real thing. If they just came in and started rocking like that, some people may have ran out.
@@JackFate76 maybe... But these 4 guys can show up anywhere anytime... At a bar.. in somebody's garage..and entertain... If Britney doesn't have a shit ton of support from auto tune...backing tracks...dancers..lip syncing.. she is just a hot chick.. as with most pop music. I could be wrong but I don't remember Brittany ever sitting down with an acoustic Guitar player and doing an unplugged set. Again... As with most pop music she is manufactured. Pretty sure she didn't spend yearsIs going from club to club.... Sweating it out To make a name for herself. All music can be called acts.. Some or genuine.... A lot is fake garbage.
Looking back at this now he looked almost boiled over with anger around 3:45 I mean look at his face!! And then the last scream at 3:50 like one final war cry! It’s like he got possessed!
Rod Stewart was doing hard rock over 20 years before this. The Jeff Beck Group was as hard as hard as hard got in their time. "Spanish Boots", "Plynth", and especially "Rice Pudding" were templates of what was to come.
You can tell they were nervous. James’ vocals were just a little off and you could hear how Kirk’s solos were just a bit choppy. Still a fucking awesome performance and a huge milestone for metal.
@@Rex-Karlsonnah, robs a cool dude and all but he does not have the presence that Jason had. Every other era if metallica had people singing James's praises for his voice, but when Jason was in the band he damn near over shadows James.
James quit worrying about his vocal chords for three minutes, and Jason decided the musical gallumphing he heard at the beginning was not cutting it. They didn't show him much, but Jason got mad.
Jason has said in interview that this was one of his most memorable moments in the band because his idols where in attendance and got a good job backstage from James Brown
To come out at the Grammys and play this song back then is insane. No metal band had ever taken it that far.. thats why metallica is the greatest fucking hard rock/metal band of all time
@@Adam_Aiman true enough, this was the first time an extreme amount of people were introduced to metal as a music genre, so they may have thought THIS was extreme
I remember watching this with my dad. I was 17. He was an advertising exec in NYC. So he automatically had a radar for potential trends. And I distinctly remember him talking about how this was a very different and passionate type of music and how kids were fed up with what he called the “Day Glo Reagan happy ass era” and he said something like “this band is going to be the biggest band in the world”. I didn’t think that was possible for them because they were just Metallica and they were anything but contemporary at the time. But my dad got it 100% right about Metallica. Rest In Peace Pops.
@@Andrew-se6ee Cool. Thanks! He was born in 1930 but was a really open minded cat and he loved music. He occasionally borrowed some of my Motley Crue and Iron Maiden albums or whatever I was listening too. He was genuinely curious about the music young people were making and I think he dug the energy of metal. He also supported my goal of being a touring musician and so I am. Peace!
It just goes to show at that time the ignorance and disrespect of the music industry towards heavy metal. You can bet that Metallica was laughing all the way to the bank the next time they were nominated and won with the Black Album. Metallica didn’t even need to win this because they were already mighty and just blew the roof off the place. I mean for them to take Jethro Tull over not only Metallica but AC/DC? Really?!
It not that at all. It's a "I believe in what I created" moment. In three years, he'd gone from having a big brother in the late Cliff Burton to crafting one of the landmark albums of metal to a Grammy nomination. James did not truly believe in himself at this time. But after a certain point, they sped up and stopped listening to that inner voice that says "No" That's the iconic and metal thing: the on,y thing stopping me is me.
Even more impressive when you think about the trio of Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets and And Justice... albums. Specially the complex song structures, riffs and everything.
I cannot express how *MONUMENTAL* this moment was for metal back in 1989. This was the first time metal (not poppy hair bands) was given the stage at the Grammys. All of us teen boys in our black t-shirts and leather jackets were poised in front of the TV, across the country, to see this moment. It was eerie. Hoping for the best. At first James seemed nervous - out of place - and it felt cringey. This was a stuffy room full of the pop industry in tuxedos and dresses. Sitting there likely smirking at 'how did they let this grubby filth in here' . The paradox was palpable. But things started to pick up... First glimmer of hope: "Cut this shit out from me" James didn't censor the lyric, and the network didn't bleep it ! Okayyyy... I remember my heart started beating faster. The boys were getting into the groove now. Fuck it. THEE Moment of Ownage: While the boys were hammering it out, something literally changed. I still tear up a little seeing it, because watching it above, it still is as clear as day for me, 30 years later... around 3:09 , coming out of the first solo, James catches a glimpse of the crane camera in the corner of his eye... at first you can see him catch it... then something changes... he then LOCKS EYES with it. After not paying attention to the cameras (or even looking up at the snooty audience), suddenly James seems to have a moment of clarity. He's looking at US. The fans at home! Completely breaks the fourth wall. I swear to god, you could feel it. Then he seems to just say "FUCK THIS SHIT - LET's DO THIS" with a distinct shake of his fist at US. Us at home. At this point I the band just lets go, and goes into beast mode. Fuck the industry. Fuck this fancy ass audience. We're doing this for the guys at home. And what you witness from this point is Metallica as real as if they were at their own gig in front of us. They take out the rest of the song with absolute guts and blood... and James now looks straight at the audience. No more looking at the floor. Oh. My. Living. Fuck. You cannot believe what it felt like that night.
Epic comment. As a new fan and lover of history, I love hearing from people who actually lived through an era, rather than having to read about it like myself. What do you think of them now after so many years?
Yep. I was literally pouring sweat watching it as I had an idea of what an epic moment this was... I knew they wouldn't win, but I just wanted them to crush it and they sure did!!! I'll never forget it. Ever.
It's already been mentioned a thousand times, but James' transition at 3.09 shows what it takes to be the "frontman" in a band, you can see him hyping up the whole band, and suddenly everyone gets their shit together, sound gets tight, and then the Jason's "darkness" punctuates everything
No, fuck that. The disrespect should go to James and Lars because they are giant manbabies who couldn't process Cliff Burton's death so they used to constantly rag on Jason.
As an up - I don't think the fellas are going to treat their bass player like that ever again. It seems like they worship the ground Rob walks on, and they learned a very hard lesson from being dickheads to Jason all the time.
@Cole Young Yeah, but Metallica isn't what they were back in the day. To quote Trent Reznor, "I'm not the same person I was 20 years ago, and I'm happy to not be that person." The angry, drug abusing young men that made the best of Metallica are now rich, successful businessmen with families.
@@dewilew2137 Put that outrage back in your purse son. If you learn to read, nowhere in my comment did I say they should be the same as 20 years ago. They aren't, neither am I. It happens. In fact, I congratulate them for being able to get past the personal problems of their youth to become the family men they are today. Lots of musicians and other performers can't, that's why you hear all the stories of famous people dying young or destroying their life with drugs.
At exactly 3:06 James, that is probably i little nervous, glances back at Jason seing him not caring about the audience and just banging his head to the music, probably inspired James to relax and put that Metallica attitude on.
I remember being a kid and watching this... First time I've ever heard of Metallica, my dad was so into classic rock so that's all I heard. This performance changed my life, haha.
@@hopsmetalshow3413 Just because they became the biggest band in the world, it doesn't mean they maintained the same quality of music. They became the biggest due to the success of The Black album and what came before and NOT due to anything they had released since then.
You can say that this is indeed classic now, in 89, It was only 20 years since Deep Purple came to the scene, now it is more then 30 years ago since this performance.
this is so iconic. The fact that they didnt win makes it even more so. It is an 'us Vs the rest' kind of moment. It is a 'fuck it, lets jam as fuckin hard as we can' moment. Who cares about a grammy. This moment will live in our collective mind forever. Worth all the grammies in the world. That huddle at the bridge: goosebumps
The night America met Metallica. Big difference between what the Grammys are now and what it was then. Feels like watching the Grammys back then was like watching the Oscars.
You can see the exact moment when James decides he’s not going to be a legend for just his fans but a legend for the world. Long live Metallica. Oh and Jason is the best this band ever could have had after Cliff passed away.
I've never seen a performance go from a bit sketchy to one of the best performances of all-time like this one. How insane. As a Metalhead I I wish I could've lived through it.
I remember watching this live with my friends and when James first started singing all of were like, "uh oh, James is nervous". This is hardly their best performance (I saw Metallica live with Cliff and Jason for the Justice tour), but Jason is the MVP in this one and I think his "fuck it" attitude snapped the band out of their nervs. Starts off rough, but ends with a bang.
I love that you can tell the instruments were live. All of it is authentic as can be and it's awesome to know that they were given the opportunity to play live rather than just mock it onstage
at around 2:33 u can see their attitude change and instantly the vibe changes and goes to a much more jam session like attitude and it really improved them for the better in this performance.
Imagine you're Metallica, you just released ONE of the coolest albums of all time, just lost your best pal and is now performing at the freaking Grammy when no thrash or heavy metal band in general had ever done it before. Now that's a monumental moment right here
The exact moment when god gave them everything they wanted and worked for . It didn’t matter what they did before this in all of their lives . It was showing up at this exact moment that made Metallica the biggest metal band to ever exist . The very next thing they did was release the black album to cement that further and become all time legends . Just amazing to see the moment someone else had a breakthrough .
You can hear them getting more confident as the shows goes on, they keep fucking up in the start and are playing so quietly, but then DARKNESS, IMPRISONING ME.
Seeing for the first time when I was a kid was absolutely shocking to me. My parents were r&b, soul, pop, and country. I had no idea that music could be this epic and aggressive. Never looked back after this.
2:28 Jason reminds James on how to be James 'YEAH' Hetfield. It's fun to see him go through the first half of the song so nervous, but then they just come back and come brutal with that "Darkness"
It may be controversial but Jason was a better complimentary bassist than Cliff. Of course, Cliff was a better soloist and helped with song arrangements.
When the drums kick in at 3:13 is the moment when you turn the song up in your car. And the closest that a set of drums will ever get to sounding like automatic weapons fire is at 3:57.
the official moment heavy metal was born, metalliica blew people away with this performance, first time most people had seen anything like it, then they pick jethro tull, legendary moment for heavy metal fans and another example of how little the grammy's matter.
Old School Metallica rocked and I was fortunate to see them live with Cliff Burton after the Master of Puppets album was released in 1986, they were the opening band for Ozzy Osborne on The Utimate Sin Tour!
The fact that this performance took place at a pretty formal event with the audience sitting quietly listening makes this more powerful
Most of the audience were probably horrified, and I love it.
They were watching a barbarian on lead vocals and rhythm guitar with a blackened death metal vocalist on bass.
@@Bassman36 me to man…me to man 🤘
Sitting quietly? You mean sitting quietly and secretly judging them lmao.
Pretty difficult to be louder than Metallica
That “landmine” and “darkness” vocal from Jason is still echoing in that venue to this day.
his vocals are deadly... in a good way
@@yvengeace if you havent already, you should look up his band Newsted.
its some great stuff!
You understand it’s Jason backing him in both of those though aye
@@ReCycledCycler Yes. That’s why I made the comment about Jason, specifically.
@@ReCycledCycler yes... thats what he said
Jason probably scared the crowd with his "darkness" scream...I love it.
Jason?
@@sennawillems901 yes Jason
Senna Willems Yes Jason
@@sennawillems901 the bass holding,eye shining, vocal chord tearing monster on stage
I think he scare more people with the c.krunch shirt
This was 1989 Grammys, Michael Jackson, Iggy Pop, Rod Stewart, Santana, Eric Clapton, Iggy Pop, Phil Collins, etc were in the crowd watching James Hetfield's roaring like a rabid wolf. Greatest performance ever.
Iggy and his clone Iggy were there😊 😉
@@_mylastname x2 Iggy is the best Iggy
MJ was NOT at this show
@@alfredooliva5175💀
@@alfredooliva5175 I'm convinced 👍
3:10 Hetfield drinks a healing potion and remembers he's the fucking man
Hahahaha... "healing potion"! I love it.
Nah dude, you know that's absolutely a Potion of Strength \m/
Gold
What does it mean
the moment he realize he is JAMES MOTHA FOKEN HETFIELD
Jason's backing vocals and all-around badassery are sorely missed in Metallica.
Are missed for you and 35 others, Trujillo was the missing link after Burton died and not Jason, sorry buddy but I NEVER liked Jason. Trujillo is badass for Metallica! Rip Cliff you made Metallica.
@@laudreport3798 it's one comment on one video out of tens of thousands. The number of likes I got doesn't represent the Metallica masses in any way. You're in the minority bud.
@@the6ig6adwolf
I don't think so homie, you and the very few are obsessed with Jason. I actually understand why he was hazed so badly (Not a good thing, but hey)
@@laudreport3798 you're delusional
@@laudreport3798 go look at all the positivity on the Black album unboxing. You don't know your ass from your elbow pal.
3:10 I love how when James see’s the camera, it’s like he see’s all of the Metallica fans at home, and decides to kill it for them. Goosebumps
He was about to flip the camera off but then was like "Oh shit I'm on national TV!"
For sure he'd thinked something like FOR CLIFF
Underrated comment 👊
The moment they finally stepped out of the garage for good, and stepped on top of the world.
fuck we ball moment and he just wants to jam
The moment James switches from unsecure nervous to "fuck this shit let's break this place up" is probably one of the most historical moments in metal. Not because it's Metallica, but because it is the first time a metal band showed the real energy and a standing point to a wider audience which was, at that time, used to shinny-smiling-happy-hippy pop-rock bands. They showed them that it is not about the stage, it is not about the lightning, it is not about the smile on the face, it is not about shiny clothes, it is not about the movement on the stage or dance - it is just about unleashing the pure energy into the crowd, without any distractions.
It is an act just like Brittney Spears is an act.
At the end you see Iggy Pop. That guy was around long before Metallica and unleashed a lot more energy than they ever will.
I think it was a wise warm up. They had to build up these people to this epicness! Every musician understands that you need to prepare people for the real thing. If they just came in and started rocking like that, some people may have ran out.
V@@JackFate76I never heard that before,,
@@JackFate76 maybe... But these 4 guys can show up anywhere anytime... At a bar.. in somebody's garage..and entertain... If Britney doesn't have a shit ton of support from auto tune...backing tracks...dancers..lip syncing.. she is just a hot chick.. as with most pop music. I could be wrong but I don't remember Brittany ever sitting down with an acoustic Guitar player and doing an unplugged set. Again... As with most pop music she is manufactured. Pretty sure she didn't spend yearsIs going from club to club.... Sweating it out To make a name for herself. All music can be called acts.. Some or genuine.... A lot is fake garbage.
Once he gets back to the mic around 3:30, something has changed. Goosebumps there.
He started putting anger in his singing you can see it in his eyes! It’s almost scary
transition to ‘86 voice
You can see it at about 3:10 , the exact moment he makes eye contact with the camera.
Looking back at this now he looked almost boiled over with anger around 3:45 I mean look at his face!! And then the last scream at 3:50 like one final war cry! It’s like he got possessed!
You cannot mess around with this part of the song, he knows it's coming and cannot be fucked with, metallica forever
At 3:13 you see the exact moment James has a moment of clarity and remembers why he started doing this.
Fuck yeah
That moment was the biggest 'f*ck you' to the established Grammy.
He wanted to show the finger, but remembered:"Fuck, I 'm on television...."
That was all Lars. He was full throttle from the beginning. He knew this was their shot at world domination and he wasn't letting it go.
When he saw the camera he stopped singing for the grammys,but he started to sing to all the metal heads watching this
Keep in mine Micheal Jackson,Rod Stewart are hearing these live at that time.
Was incredible and James was extremely nervous here.
He was shy guy back then even now he still
That's insane. And somehow they didn't win.
Rod Stewart was doing hard rock over 20 years before this. The Jeff Beck Group was as hard as hard as hard got in their time. "Spanish Boots", "Plynth", and especially "Rice Pudding" were templates of what was to come.
When the heavy part started they played for themselves. Don’t give a shit to anyone you now.
Who cares about those guys?
You can tell they were nervous. James’ vocals were just a little off and you could hear how Kirk’s solos were just a bit choppy. Still a fucking awesome performance and a huge milestone for metal.
When you’re playing in front of fucking famous people you get the butterflies, plus this is almost historical no other band at the time has done that.
N also can tell cuz lars was off a little as well....wait...that's always how Lars is 😆😆
@@Phike9391 lars is not the nervous type
Until about 3:16 when you see the “fuck it” look on James face and he turns to Lars lol
@@torso99 guess you didn't understand the joke of Lars always being bad 😆
3:25 I think half the audience shit themselves after that
Love it 😂
Freaking Jason killing it on Back Vocals. Metallica did him dirty man this guy was awesome.
But rob is better IMO 🤷
"He left the Fawwking band!" Lars
@@sharkattack3524 periodd
@@Symphonyyofchaos exclamation point
@@Rex-Karlsonnah, robs a cool dude and all but he does not have the presence that Jason had. Every other era if metallica had people singing James's praises for his voice, but when Jason was in the band he damn near over shadows James.
3:30 I love how James breaks here and unleashes his 86 voice.
man, that part is fucking sick..pure anger right there!
So true!!!!
Ah yes, it's amazing
@@XXLRebel Snappy one aren’t you
@@XXLRebel nice troll
The "Darkness" & "Landmine" sent chills down my spine
Jason's backing vocals were simply incredible.
James quit worrying about his vocal chords for three minutes, and Jason decided the musical gallumphing he heard at the beginning was not cutting it. They didn't show him much, but Jason got mad.
That's how it always was in their live shows with Jason 🤘
Fr! Like a fucking lightning!
Jason has said in interview that this was one of his most memorable moments in the band because his idols where in attendance and got a good job backstage from James Brown
Didn't realize you said good job at first, thought james brown gave him a different job🗣️💀
@@ReturnTheSlab932 it's a possibility
James brown! Fuck that's amazing
@@ReturnTheSlab932 ME TOO 💀💀💀
@@ReturnTheSlab932 dirty minded as hell 💀💀
To come out at the Grammys and play this song back then is insane. No metal band had ever taken it that far.. thats why metallica is the greatest fucking hard rock/metal band of all time
Then they lose to Jethro "Fucking" Tull! lol smh!
Losing to Jethro Tull? What a joke
@@muriloninja In this era, pop-culture didnt knew what METAL was suppose to really sound like though. So cant say lose much ahaha
@@Adam_Aiman true enough, this was the first time an extreme amount of people were introduced to metal as a music genre, so they may have thought THIS was extreme
Venom: 🤨
3:20 that moment they lost their initial nerves.....and played it as they should
2:28 that vocal harmonisation is better than the studio version anyday
Ear candy definition: that exact part
Oh its so amazing
They were not ready for the darkness part and jason’s screams.
who tf is jason
@@unhommequidort6562 wtf dude
@@anthonykazi543 sorry, didn't know about Newsted at that time. Thought that guy had misunderstood James w Jason
@@unhommequidort6562 yeah no worries dude, it's okay
It's the "LANDMINE" that gets me
How many people in that audience jumped when Jason screamed DARKNESS as loud as he could.
EPIC. PERFECTION.
Nothing special about Jason screaming darkness...big deal
@@ArronP as if you are something... shut up
@@ArronP probably you like more Rob's crab walk 🤣
What is it 18ish years since Jason left? Damn I still miss him.
I remember watching this with my dad. I was 17. He was an advertising exec in NYC. So he automatically had a radar for potential trends.
And I distinctly remember him talking about how this was a very different and passionate type of music and how kids were fed up with what he called the “Day Glo Reagan happy ass era” and he said something like “this band is going to be the biggest band in the world”.
I didn’t think that was possible for them because they were just Metallica and they were anything but contemporary at the time.
But my dad got it 100% right about Metallica. Rest In Peace Pops.
You had an awesome dad🤘
yeah, but now those days are over and we have to listen to wining degenerates again
@@Andrew-se6ee Cool. Thanks! He was born in 1930 but was a really open minded cat and he loved music. He occasionally borrowed some of my Motley Crue and Iron Maiden albums or whatever I was listening too. He was genuinely curious about the music young people were making and I think he dug the energy of metal. He also supported my goal of being a touring musician and so I am. Peace!
@@nitroflesh sorry bro, people have different tastes. cry about it
If only he also knew about Apple. R.I.P.
3:17-3:19 love how you can hear their timing coming together. Never gets old.
2:01 one of the most beautiful riffs I heard from Kirk Hammett
Kirk is underrated. People disregarding his musicianship when he makes leads like this
Metallica should have won
They did win...they got a Grammy for this Performance.
Delaney O No. Jethro Tull won
Nick Cornacchia that is correct sorry I thought this was 1990. That’s when they won, with One
It just goes to show at that time the ignorance and disrespect of the music industry towards heavy metal. You can bet that Metallica was laughing all the way to the bank the next time they were nominated and won with the Black Album. Metallica didn’t even need to win this because they were already mighty and just blew the roof off the place. I mean for them to take Jethro Tull over not only Metallica but AC/DC? Really?!
NO SHIT.
i love how James rallies the entire band like a mega big balled chad when the bridge came, that’s the most iconic thing about this performance to me
They all seemed to just play better from that point 2:38 and on, and then at 3:13 he was like. F this, let it rip.
@@VicRibeiro777 No doubt. The best F this BS lets blow the roof off of this joint.
To me, everytime that Jason does his backing vocals, James gets a little more comfortable. Like Jason's vocals reminded him that he isn't alone there.
No doubt. James is an AWESOME lead - hes so bloody intelligent and so good with people. Just a natural leader
It not that at all.
It's a "I believe in what I created" moment.
In three years, he'd gone from having a big brother in the late Cliff Burton to crafting one of the landmark albums of metal to a Grammy nomination.
James did not truly believe in himself at this time. But after a certain point, they sped up and stopped listening to that inner voice that says "No"
That's the iconic and metal thing: the on,y thing stopping me is me.
Metallica never needed Grammy, Grammy required METALLICA!!
Dude the BIGGEST band ever? Do they need shit?
Metallica needs only the metfamily
You go back and just think how can 26 year old metal heads come up with such deep and captivating lyrics
Even more impressive when you think about the trio of Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets and And Justice... albums. Specially the complex song structures, riffs and everything.
Tbf it's based on a book
@@RafitoOoO goofy
@@RafitoOoO The song is based on a movie, which is based on a book (Johnny Got His Gun).
the book is even heavier than the song
At about 3:00 James' expression after looking back to Jason is priceless.
And to think MJ was sitting in the audience
Kinda strange that Michael J Fox was at the Grammys but cool nonetheless 👍
@@the6ig6adwolf fair play
Good thing there were probably no kids there
@@the6ig6adwolf what a shit joke
Michael Jackson? 😂
3:46 James looks to the crowd: ''here's some fking metal for you!''
Jason's epic backing of James gives me chills.
2 years later, Metallica was part of one of the largest concerts of all time when they played in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Wasn't it THE largest concert at that time?
@@nikoloznasaridze6328 yes!! Epic
Before fall
The crash of the cymbals at 3:17 was the signal to go scorched earth. Long Live Metallica!!
I cannot express how *MONUMENTAL* this moment was for metal back in 1989. This was the first time metal (not poppy hair bands) was given the stage at the Grammys. All of us teen boys in our black t-shirts and leather jackets were poised in front of the TV, across the country, to see this moment. It was eerie. Hoping for the best. At first James seemed nervous - out of place - and it felt cringey. This was a stuffy room full of the pop industry in tuxedos and dresses. Sitting there likely smirking at 'how did they let this grubby filth in here' . The paradox was palpable. But things started to pick up...
First glimmer of hope: "Cut this shit out from me" James didn't censor the lyric, and the network didn't bleep it ! Okayyyy... I remember my heart started beating faster. The boys were getting into the groove now. Fuck it.
THEE Moment of Ownage: While the boys were hammering it out, something literally changed. I still tear up a little seeing it, because watching it above, it still is as clear as day for me, 30 years later... around 3:09 , coming out of the first solo, James catches a glimpse of the crane camera in the corner of his eye... at first you can see him catch it... then something changes... he then LOCKS EYES with it. After not paying attention to the cameras (or even looking up at the snooty audience), suddenly James seems to have a moment of clarity. He's looking at US. The fans at home! Completely breaks the fourth wall. I swear to god, you could feel it. Then he seems to just say "FUCK THIS SHIT - LET's DO THIS" with a distinct shake of his fist at US. Us at home. At this point I the band just lets go, and goes into beast mode. Fuck the industry. Fuck this fancy ass audience. We're doing this for the guys at home. And what you witness from this point is Metallica as real as if they were at their own gig in front of us. They take out the rest of the song with absolute guts and blood... and James now looks straight at the audience. No more looking at the floor. Oh. My. Living. Fuck. You cannot believe what it felt like that night.
Epic comment.
As a new fan and lover of history, I love hearing from people who actually lived through an era, rather than having to read about it like myself.
What do you think of them now after so many years?
Seen this comment on every "One Grammys 1989" Videos on RUclips -_-
Yeah. The Fuck Yeah was followed shortly by the Fuck You when they didn’t win. I remembering turning off the TV right after.
Yep. I was literally pouring sweat watching it as I had an idea of what an epic moment this was... I knew they wouldn't win, but I just wanted them to crush it and they sure did!!! I'll never forget it. Ever.
Perfectly said!! And we all had our VCRs on record.
3:25 DARKNESS! 3:40 LANDMINE! So fucking Awesome by Jason!
Jason was awesome!
I wish that effect was in the actual song.
Yh I thought it was reverb from the mic until I saw the comments about Jason lmao 😂.
@@poophead6847 that would have been extremely powerful!! Take the song to a whole new level!
It sounds like that, because the crowd is silent in the teather ambient..
3:16 guitar tone so strong the grammys couldnt handle it
That's the Justice tone for ya
It's because the grammys filled with a bunch of sissies that don't want good guitar skills, they want the simple stuff.
@@davevampireknight9778metal head when people have opinions:
It's already been mentioned a thousand times, but James' transition at 3.09 shows what it takes to be the "frontman" in a band, you can see him hyping up the whole band, and suddenly everyone gets their shit together, sound gets tight, and then the Jason's "darkness" punctuates everything
Jason with that brutal backup vocal attack. DARKNESS!!! LANDMINE!!! sending chills
No disrespect. Rob is a cool guy and a great bassist, but Jason gave them such energy live. Nothing comes close now.
No, fuck that. The disrespect should go to James and Lars because they are giant manbabies who couldn't process Cliff Burton's death so they used to constantly rag on Jason.
@@suburbanindie The fact that he put up with it for so long is insane
As an up - I don't think the fellas are going to treat their bass player like that ever again. It seems like they worship the ground Rob walks on, and they learned a very hard lesson from being dickheads to Jason all the time.
Rob is perfect for Suicidal but hmmm for these guys.
Rob is the best metal/funk/hardcore bassist that ever lived.
3:10 Hetfield catches one last glimpse of this weak crowd and has had enough. Uses his body language to tell the boys to jam for themselves. Amazing.
When James was weak, also nervours, the rest of the band was, when he amped up, the band amped up.
I think the boys in the back were watching, too, because the mix suddenly got a hell of a lot louder for the next section of the song.
Sadly...you’ll never see the likes of a band like that on that stage again.
@Cole Young Yeah, but Metallica isn't what they were back in the day. To quote Trent Reznor, "I'm not the same person I was 20 years ago, and I'm happy to not be that person." The angry, drug abusing young men that made the best of Metallica are now rich, successful businessmen with families.
@@Elthenar who tf said they should be the same people they were “20 years ago”? What a pointless comment.
@@dewilew2137 Put that outrage back in your purse son. If you learn to read, nowhere in my comment did I say they should be the same as 20 years ago. They aren't, neither am I. It happens.
In fact, I congratulate them for being able to get past the personal problems of their youth to become the family men they are today. Lots of musicians and other performers can't, that's why you hear all the stories of famous people dying young or destroying their life with drugs.
@@Elthenar i don't think they took drugs. but they were always drinking, especially james😂😂
@@josephgledhill7046 oh they were and there's nothing wrong with doing it socially from time to time Peace brother
3:12 is the moment where Metallica becomes unstoppable as a band.
At exactly 3:06 James, that is probably i little nervous, glances back at Jason seing him not caring about the audience and just banging his head to the music, probably inspired James to relax and put that Metallica attitude on.
I remember being a kid and watching this... First time I've ever heard of Metallica, my dad was so into classic rock so that's all I heard. This performance changed my life, haha.
I heard them for the first time in 1988 at 11 years old and saw this live performance, along with the video for One in 1989 and I was HOOKED.
@@hopsmetalshow3413 Just because they became the biggest band in the world, it doesn't mean they maintained the same quality of music. They became the biggest due to the success of The Black album and what came before and NOT due to anything they had released since then.
You can say that this is indeed classic now, in 89, It was only 20 years since Deep Purple came to the scene, now it is more then 30 years ago since this performance.
this is so iconic.
The fact that they didnt win makes it even more so. It is an 'us Vs the rest' kind of moment. It is a 'fuck it, lets jam as fuckin hard as we can' moment.
Who cares about a grammy. This moment will live in our collective mind forever. Worth all the grammies in the world.
That huddle at the bridge: goosebumps
And Metallica's album became more iconic and influential than any other mentioned there.
@@VNeto94 to me that’s a bigger win for them then winning the Grammys that year
I just wanna know who the f*ck won over these guys
@@nikoloznasaridze6328 jethro tull...
The night America met Metallica. Big difference between what the Grammys are now and what it was then. Feels like watching the Grammys back then was like watching the Oscars.
Nobody watches the oscars either
And imagine if they played Battery that night...
Nobody watches either anymore
Yeah, now you have dream theater winning Grammys, which is still bonkers
@@WhoseIAm7they were nominated for the álbum ...and justice for all they cant play a máster of puppets song
This is peak Metallica. You can tell at 3:15 is exactly when they entered the Zone. Kirk is a guitar wizard, his solos never fail to impress.
Yeah, you can also hear Kirk cranking the volume on his guitar.
You can see the exact moment when James decides he’s not going to be a legend for just his fans but a legend for the world. Long live Metallica. Oh and Jason is the best this band ever could have had after Cliff passed away.
I've never seen a performance go from a bit sketchy to one of the best performances of all-time like this one. How insane. As a Metalhead I I wish I could've lived through it.
It was a little tentative at first then I think they realized win or lose we are going to rip this venue a new asshole.
@@selfhelp69 And rip them a new asshole they did. This was brilliant
3:48 the sheer force he's giving to scream like that, omg, definitely one of the most epic moments in metallica
He put anger on that scream
DARKNESS 😈
james looked so nervous until the double kick part, thats when metallica became one of the greatest metal bands ever
That fucking "DARKNESS" makes my hair stand up every time.
I remember watching this live with my friends and when James first started singing all of were like, "uh oh, James is nervous". This is hardly their best performance (I saw Metallica live with Cliff and Jason for the Justice tour), but Jason is the MVP in this one and I think his "fuck it" attitude snapped the band out of their nervs. Starts off rough, but ends with a bang.
4:36 that closing headbang, goddamn...
This song is the pinnacle of metal for me.
And that's why they're the greatest metal band.
Officially biggest band best selling best touring nobody beats the met
Megadeth crushes them but anyway if you like lullabies Metallica is for you.
@@stephanea5364 😂
@@stephanea5364 can we not enjoy both bands? Technical ability does not equal better
@@stephanea5364 L+Ratio
you can tell as they were playing they got more and more comfortable in the presence of the audience, they killed it
I love that you can tell the instruments were live. All of it is authentic as can be and it's awesome to know that they were given the opportunity to play live rather than just mock it onstage
Also Kirk completely fucking up the solo and just saying "fuck this" and improvises.
@yesseru he rarely plays the solos the way they were played on the albums lol
4:48 “That was cool man!”
michaelvdbgd Iggy Pop for the win
i always thought he said "thats a really good band".
Fucking good band/man
Iggy knows a banger when he sees it
That chorus echo should have been put into the album fits so well.
I love how Jason and Kirk do the exact same movement in the same direction at 3:13
It’s a simulation!
Its amazing how powerful jason’s backing was. He sometimes just overpowers james. That landmine breh.
The bridge at 2:23 is a true thing of beauty. I'm not a huge Metallica fan, but their songwriting is top-notch.
at around 2:33 u can see their attitude change and instantly the vibe changes and goes to a much more jam session like attitude and it really improved them for the better in this performance.
Jason live performances is great. His backing vocal is brutal
you can tell they were nervous at the start James's voice is just missing the grit then all of a sudden it kicks in amazing
Imagine you're Metallica, you just released ONE of the coolest albums of all time, just lost your best pal and is now performing at the freaking Grammy when no thrash or heavy metal band in general had ever done it before. Now that's a monumental moment right here
4:13 kirk’s hair is bouncy
I want to touch it 😩
DARKNESS!!!! LANDMINE!!!!! No one can ever match they way Jason screams!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beast mode activated
And cliff with he satan voice in fight fire with fire
The fact that James and Jason did the same headbangs was dope 4:35
It was mad when they whipped their heads back up at the same time
There was an "art" to headbanging back then, Jason was one of the best.
4:48 "fucking good band"
3:14 this moment….this moment is legendary….the rest….is history
2:28 just the way he says hold, James's voice is amazing.
I watch this clip over and over. I remember back when metal was outcast. This fills me with joy. The boys did good.
The exact moment when god gave them everything they wanted and worked for .
It didn’t matter what they did before this in all of their lives .
It was showing up at this exact moment that made Metallica the biggest metal band to ever exist .
The very next thing they did was release the black album to cement that further and become all time legends .
Just amazing to see the moment someone else had a breakthrough .
Which god?
@@joshcarpenter2008 there is only one god. Don’t be an idiot
Everything except the Grammy…God gave that to Jethro Tull
3:30 the band absolutely *DROPS* it in 3rd and *HAMMERS* the gas pedal! 🔥
4:19 perfection
You can hear them getting more confident as the shows goes on, they keep fucking up in the start and are playing so quietly, but then DARKNESS, IMPRISONING ME.
Even until today...never ever been anything this loud on the Grammys history
4:45 Nice to see Iggy Pop, and recalling that Metallica and him played together in Mexico in 2017.
Seeing for the first time when I was a kid was absolutely shocking to me. My parents were r&b, soul, pop, and country. I had no idea that music could be this epic and aggressive. Never looked back after this.
2:28 Jason reminds James on how to be James 'YEAH' Hetfield. It's fun to see him go through the first half of the song so nervous, but then they just come back and come brutal with that "Darkness"
Jason's bass sounds sick. Really adds to the song. Jason IMHO is a very underrated musician, both as a bassist and backing vocalist.
It may be controversial but Jason was a better complimentary bassist than Cliff. Of course, Cliff was a better soloist and helped with song arrangements.
@@neil3467 both were great, shame cliff got taken from us so early.
I swear to God, Jason Newsted and Tom Araya are the two best headbangers of all time.
Dead rite there brother!!!
You forgot Corpsegrinder
Chuck Schuldiner!!
I saw this when it aired.
I taped it on the vcr.
It made me proud.
You can tell Het had butterflies in his tummy... but got better towards the end.
The heavier it got, the butterflies went away.
As someone who's 13 years old and only been a metalhead for at least a year my god this performance is just *chef's kiss* goosebumps
check out basel '93, whole concert is fun as fuck
3:41 to this day you can still hear it!
my god Jason performed some absolutely fucking killer backup vocals, watch their show from 1989 @ Seattle for more great backup Jason moments!
Dude his creeping death performance in Russia before the USSR fell is tough! Hes backing and he sings a verse and its fuckin spot on
@@smellanalan the Pantera show there was also incredible, DOMINATION.
LANDMINE!
Watching a moment in music history where a band breaks their own chains into an unknown eschillon is the single greatest thing you can witness
1:46 Yes folks that went out LIVE on network TV, no delay or nothing! Taped it on my VCR. STILL the coolest moment in Grammy history.🤘🤘
LANDMINE! @3:41
I fucking love Jason’s backing vocals.
This performance literallygives me shivers.
When the drums kick in at 3:13 is the moment when you turn the song up in your car. And the closest that a set of drums will ever get to sounding like automatic weapons fire is at 3:57.
Try Band of Gypsys' "Machine Gun" for the same with Jimi Hendrix on the guitar.
When he looks at the camera u can see the fear leave him. His voice even gets better.
the official moment heavy metal was born, metalliica blew people away with this performance, first time most people had seen anything like it, then they pick jethro tull, legendary moment for heavy metal fans and another example of how little the grammy's matter.
Old School Metallica rocked and I was fortunate to see them live with Cliff Burton after the Master of Puppets album was released in 1986, they were the opening band for Ozzy Osborne on The Utimate Sin Tour!