Original Thin Lizzy guitarist Eric Bell recently commented on his experience performing with Metallica. He shared candid insights in an interview featured on Guitar World.
When asked about Metallica’s 1998 cover of “Whiskey in the Jar,” Bell explained that he was initially unfamiliar with the band. He recalled being contacted by someone from Metallica’s team who invited him to join their world tour and perform the song with them in Dublin.
“I didn’t know anything about Metallica. I’m not into that kind of music, really. But it was funny; they got in touch with me,” Bell said. “Someone from their setup phoned me and said, ‘I work with Metallica. We’re doing a world tour. Would love to have you come along to play with us in Dublin and do Whiskey in the Jar.'”
Bell noted that the cover itself was acceptable, but the performance presented unexpected challenges. During rehearsal, he discovered that Metallica tuned their guitars a whole tone down—a significant departure from standard tuning that caught him off guard.
“I was trying out this Marshall amp, and Metallica walked in sort of like cartoons. They said, ‘Hey, man, when we do this, we tune our guitars a whole tone down.’ I thought, ‘A whole tone? The guitar is going to sound like a f*cking banjo,'” Bell recalled.
When asked if he enjoyed performing with Metallica, Bell was honest about his reservations. He explained that playing in standard tuning while the rest of the band played in a lower tuning forced him to adapt on the fly, creating an awkward situation.
“No. I mean, it was okay. I just felt a bit out of place, especially as my guitar was in standard tuning and I was playing along in F instead of G,” he said. “If I had the chance again, I’d tune it down because it was tricky playing it in F!”
The tuning mismatch Bell experienced was rooted in Metallica’s deliberate production choices for their version of the classic Irish folk song. Metal Injection reported that Metallica recorded their heavier version of “Whiskey in the Jar” in 1998 on their Garage Inc. covers album. They popularized a tuning a whole step down from standard—specifically D tuning instead of E standard. This tuning choice became a signature element of their arrangement, giving the song a heavier, more aggressive sound that aligned with Metallica’s musical style.
The Dublin performance took place in 1999, a year after Metallica’s studio recording. Ultimate Classic Rock noted that Metallica invited Eric Bell on stage to play the song together, but the tuning discrepancy created an unintended complication. Metallica remained tuned down a whole step (D tuning). Meanwhile, Bell kept his guitar in standard tuning (E tuning). This meant they were effectively playing the song in F instead of the original key Bell was accustomed to. This technical mismatch forced Bell to navigate unfamiliar territory on stage, contributing to his overall dissatisfaction with the experience.
The experience highlighted a fundamental difference in approach between the two guitarists. As Audacy highlighted, Bell’s frustration stemmed not only from the tuning issue but also from a perceived lack of chemistry and preparation for the collaboration. The guitarist felt out of place performing alongside a band whose musical approach and technical setup differed so significantly from his own experience with Thin Lizzy’s original arrangement of the song.
Despite the awkwardness of the moment, Bell’s candid reflection on the performance offers insight into the challenges that can arise when musicians from different eras and genres collaborate without adequate rehearsal or communication. His willingness to acknowledge what he would do differently—tuning his guitar down to match Metallica’s setup—suggests that with proper preparation, the performance could have been a more seamless tribute to the enduring appeal of “Whiskey in the Jar.”
