The Jason Newsted-era of Metallica was one of the most analyzed by the band’s avid fanbase than any period in the band’s history given that he was taking over for the beloved Cliff Burton, but having some time to reflect, Newsted himself has revealed what he feels was the “strength” of what he brought to the band during his tenure.
While speaking on the most recent edition of The Metallica Report podcast, the bassist spent some time in reflection, explaining, “My forte, my strength in Metallica in my time, was the live show. That is all that mattered to me, everything else came second.”
“Whatever I could do to go all the way and leave every fucking ounce on the stage, that was part of the program for that particular stage set. Any time that I had to do anything extra, that’s what I could give, that’s where I felt the most confident, that’s where I got the most pats on the back from the guys, is when I was doing my live thing, sweating my nuts off, background vocals, spinning fucking windmills. All that shit,” he continued.
Fans did not get cheated with Newsted’s stage performances. He’s previously spoken of how he used to have to “sweat-proof” his basses given his energetic live show performances. But even the bassist himself is a bit surprised at how far he took it when looking back footage at old shows.
“Every once in a while, somebody will send me a video of this, ‘Jason, how’s you head?,’ or these kinda things. ‘Doesn’t your neck hurt?’ ‘You got headaches?’ … I look at the footage and I’m like, ‘What the fuck?!’ If you count the actual times that I spun that shit, or that I…I never fucking stopped! You got two hours and twenty minutes, and there had to be tens of thousands of gestures of me pushing my vertebrae out, per night! Thousands and thousands!,” he marvels.
“You look back, like, ‘Dude, what the fuck,'” he continues. “No wonder your shoulder is [jacked up], no wonder your fucking C6 is all jolting off the back of your back. Now these days it’s a little better, but goddamn occupational hazards and all that kind of thing. That’s what I could give, bro. That’s what I could give so people remembered and came back the next time.”
Back in 2021, Newsted remarked that he no longer had the physicality to play Metallica material, but he later clarified those comments to explain that what he meant was that he does not have the physical capability to fully commit to proper tours where we would have to play his old material onstage for over two hours a night, also limited by shoulder surgeries over the years.
“I want everybody to realize that whoever asked me to come and play bass, and if it was for real, then I would be there to play bass. And if it was Metallica that asked me to play for that many songs or that fast or that slow or whatever, then I would go and do it. There’s not a thing where I can’t do that. I was saying that I’m probably not going to go on tour and do two-and-a-half hours every night with a band anymore. That’s not something I’m probably going to do,” explained the bassist.
READ MORE: Why Did Jason Newsted Leave Metallica In 2001?
Newsted came to Metallica from Flotsam and Jetsam, appearing on four studio albums over 15-year span, including …And Justice for All, the self-titled Black Album, as well as Load and Re-Load. In his recent years, he’s spent most of his time between his self-titled band as well as playing with his Chophouse Band.
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Gallery Credit: Jordan Blum
