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Mon 12 October 2026 3:15, UK
You may well go and see your favourite band and want them to play your favourite song of theirs, but don’t necessarily waltz into a Metallica set thinking that you’re going to get everything you desire.
Ever since they emerged in the 1980s, their incendiary live shows have been hailed as some of the most powerful, not just in terms of the volume that they choose to play at, but in terms of the sheer rawness with which they choose to deliver said performances. There’s a good reason as to why they’re constantly referred to as one of the ‘Big Four’ in metal, particularly when it comes to the thrashy style that they’ve become synonymous with since the 1980s.
That being said, there have been times where their musicianship has been called into question in a live environment, and some of their sloppiness has reared its head. There are many different ways in which this can be interpreted; perhaps it’s a case of under-rehearsing, or perhaps it’s a case of them not wanting to perform certain songs, but either way, they’re very much the sort of band who are fallible, and they’ve hit several low moments on stage as a result of these slip-ups.
However, there is only one instance of a song that the band have flat out refused to perform, which is the exact case with one of the band’s most beloved tracks. Despite featuring on their most universally acclaimed album, the Ride the Lightning track ‘Escape’ has only ever featured in one of the band’s live sets, and this is because frontman James Hetfield has described it as being something of a nightmare to play.
During a 2017 interview with Loudwire, Hetfield admitted that Ride the Lightning, their second album, was the first occasion where the band had collectively written material in the studio rather than having it all fleshed out beforehand, and this led to ‘Escape’ being hashed out in a decisively hurried manner.
“I remember we had all the songs and Lars [Ulrich] said, ‘They want us to record one more, they need one more for the album,’” the frontman recalled. “I was like, ‘You didn’t tell me that.’ So we had to write and it was really last-minute. So ‘Escape’ was one of those songs that was written in the studio.”
It wasn’t until 2012, 38 years after the album’s release, that the band finally relented and performed the song live for the first time, when they played the album in its entirety at their Orion Music and More Festival.
Further reading: From The Vault
At the show, Hetfield addressed the fact that the band were entering uncharted territory by performing it, especially as it was against their previously established will. “This is groundbreaking right here,” he told the audience. “This is historical for those of you who might know what’s coming up next. The song that we never wanted to play live ever is now on the setlist. We’re not afraid, we just hope it is good. And we’ll do our best. You can sing along if you want, all right? That might help.”
For those who were there, it would have been a special moment to witness ‘Escape’ performed for the only time, not to mention Ride the Lightning in full. For Hetfield and the rest of the band, it sounds like they were subjecting themselves to hell, and one they have staunchly opted not to return to.
