Metallica’s James Hetfield Plays Acoustic Solo Cover of Bob Seger’s ‘Turn the Page’
Metallica frontman James Hetfield was one of many stars to appear at the Dec. 12 VetsAid livestream benefit event. One notable moment from the star-studded show was when Papa Het performed "Turn the Page," originally by Bob Seger, as an acoustic solo track.
In 1998, as part of their Garage Inc. covers album, Metallica unfurled a rough 'n' tumble version of Seger's dust-in-the-wind 1973 recording. For the band, it firmly acknowledged their wide-ranging influences that had crept into the divisive Load and Reload, which were released in back-to-back years prior to the covers record.
In the multi-part video captured and posted to the Instagram fan account 'jaymzthebarbarian,' Hetfield sounds perfectly at home tackling the cover by himself, and, no, that's not just because he was literally at his home while recording it.
The video opens with Hetfield extending his gratitude toward, "Those who serve our country and those who put themselves on the line — mentally, physically, spiritually," to which he added, "Not just them — first responders, military and the families along with them. So, thank you so much for what you do and your sacrifices.
The Dec. 12 benefit show was the fourth of its kind after being founded in 2017 by Eagles legend Joe Walsh, though this was the first time VetsAid was hosted as a streaming-only event. Other notable rock icons who made an appearance include Alice Cooper, Jon Bon Jovi and Eddie Vedder.
Watch Hetfield's performance below and for more information on VetsAid, head here.
The 40 Best Cover Songs of 2020