At the 66th annual Grammy Awards, Metallica’s bassist Rob Trujillo accepted the Best Metal Performance award solo, explaining his bandmates Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, and Kirk Hammett were absent due to family commitments.
Trujillo stated the following in his speech:
“All right. Wow. Incredible. I just wanna say that Lars [Ulrich], James [Hetfield], and Kirk [Hammett] could not be here ’cause they’re with their families, and, as you know, families are everything to all of us. That comes first. And I live in Southern California, so it’s a little easier.”
Metallica’s Grammy Win
The Grammy ceremony, hosted by Trevor Noah and Justin Tranter at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, saw Metallica winning for their song ’72 Seasons,’ the lead single from their 2023 album of the same name.
This victory adds to the band’s impressive Grammy tally, now standing at 10 awards from 26 nominations. Despite being in the running for two other categories—Best Rock Album for ’72 Seasons’ and Best Rock Performance for ‘Lux Æterna’—Metallica did not clinch these categories.
Metallica’s history with the Grammys is long and storied, beginning with their first nomination in 1989. That year, they infamously lost to Jethro Tull in a decision that sparked widespread controversy. Fans of Metallica can look forward to seeing the band live as they continue their ‘M72 World Tour,’ which will take them across Europe and North America later this year.
Other Grammy Highlights
The night also celebrated wins for other artists. Paramore took home the Best Rock Album and Alternative Music Performance Grammys for their album ‘This Is Why.’
Supergroup Boygenius won the Best Rock Song prize for their single ‘Not Strong Enough,’ outperforming The Rolling Stones’ ‘Angry.’ They also secured victories in the Alternative Music Album and Rock Performance categories.
Watch the bassist’s full speech below.
