Super Bowl LIX just wrapped up and the NFL has announced that Super Bowl LX will take place at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA (just south of San Francisco) on February 8, 2026. Which if you’re wondering, is just a brief 60 mile drive from Metallica HQ in San Rafael, CA. So is Metallica going to play the Super Bowl in 2026? Who the hell knows, but I’m guessing it’s still a resounding “no.”
In a 2016 interview, Metallica frontman James Hetfield told Nikki Sixx on his radio show that Metallica‘s time to play the show is likely passed, and the band doesn’t really fit the image anyway.
“I can’t dance, I can’t jump around, I’m not an acrobat, I’m not a variety show, you know? We are artists. We’re a band. We love playing songs. We’re not gonna fly through the air on a sparkly star with a unicorn.
“It’s become less about music unfortunately and more about just the spectacle. When we played for the fiftieth anniversary of the NFL… right here in our hometown and they didn’t have us do it… that would have been the time. Maybe that time has passed?”
In a separate 2016 interview with The Associated Press, Hetfield added: “The fan base is really wide, but as far as playing the halftime show for the Super Bowl, I have a feeling that day… that ship has passed. We’re not a variety show, you know? We’re not pop. We’re not sparkly and all that kind of stuff that I think seems to be what is needed for that.”
And who knows – nine years later maybe Hetfield‘s opinion has changed. But what he said still stands true, in that Metallica‘s stage show isn’t this big glitzy thing. And given America’s obsession with country and hip hop (which isn’t a dig at everyone’s taste so much as it is the truth) over hard rock, I’m not sure Metallica would fit the bill.
All that being said, I’m down for a Metallica Super Bowl show.
Source: metalinjection.net
