Ex-METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted, who will play a two-night benefit concert inside the Everson Museum Of Art’s iconic Hosmer Auditorium in Syracuse, New York, in July, spoke to Jeff Kulikowsky of 9 WSYR-TV in Syracuse about his former band, who performed in the city’s JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday night (April 19). Asked what a METALLICA show is like for somebody who has never seen the group play live, Jason said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): ”Yeah, it’s been a while since METALLICA played in Syracuse. I was with them there, I think it was ’96, that was the last time we did it. They have been together for 44 years. They have thousands of shows under their belt. I think probably the number one live act from America currently is METALLICA. They bring it all every time, and I know that the production this time around is the most fantastical one to date. So, yeah, get your dancing shoes on.”
Regarding his upcoming shows at the Everson, which are being billed as “Jason Newsted & Friends”, he said: “I’ve been playing benefit shows the last 20 years or so. I choose six or eight a year, and they’re usually affiliated with youth, art and music programs. So I started out with a thing called Little Kids Rock back in the early 2000s. They now call it Music Will. And we have been responsible for putting thousands of instruments in kids’ hands. And so that was my beginning, and ever since that time, I’ve put my energies toward earning the kids — I guess trying to make them aware of art and make them aware of music and get instruments and paintbrushes in their hands.”
Jason left METALLICA back in 2001 but was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, along with guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett, and the man who replaced him, bassist Robert Trujillo, in 2009.
Back in May 2023, Jason performed with his NEWSTED project for the first time in nearly a decade at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Newsted, who plays bass and sings in the project, was joined at the gig by original NEWSTED members Jesus Mendez Jr. (UNDERLORD) on drums and Jessie Farnsworth (UNDERLORD) on guitar, along with new guitarist Humberto Perez.
NEWSTED‘s sole full-length effort, “Heavy Metal Music”, sold nearly 8,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 40 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was made available in August 2013 in North America via Chophouse Records/Collective Sounds and in Europe through Spinefarm Records.
Source: blabbermouth.net
