When you’re in a band as big as Metallica, you’re not used to being told no. But that’s what they were told when they wanted to use tesla coils onstage, because it was just too dangerous.
You would think James Hetfield wouldn’t want to play with electricity considering he got pretty burned up by stage pyro back in 1992, an accident that nearly killed him. Still, as Blabbermouth reports, the band was determined to use tesla coil electricity onstage for the song Ride the Lightning.
The band always wanted to do something with the electric chair that’s on the cover of Ride the Lightning, and as you can see in this video, they finally figured out how to utilize it, albeit with caution. In this clip, one of the roadies talks about having his hands on steel bass strings, and how it could be a conduit to getting zapped if everyone isn’t careful.
Oddly enough, Hetfield has also considered doing a hologram of the late Cliff Burton for one of their gigs. You may recall that a ways back at Coachella there was a hologram of Tupac that came onstage, and there was also an Elvis hologram in the works as well. Not to mention Jason Bonham also wants to play with his late father, John Bonham, onstage via hologram.
Perhaps we’ll be bringing back metal legends through holograms one day, but in the meantime, Metallica’s 3D Imax movie, Through the Never, will finally be out in the world on Friday, and early word is it’s also a big step forward for Imax technology as well.
