By “Tampa” Earl Burton
Now into their third year of the M72 World Tour, Metallica has continually wowed their devoted fans and converted many to the metal faith. Over the weekend, the band brought dual “No Repeat Weekend” shows in which nothing is repeated…not the opening acts, nor the set list, to Raymond James Stadium. Normally, those shows are set for Friday and Sunday nights – so what do you do in the middle? How about stage a Metallica Takeover of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa for the thousands of fans who have come to the city!
The Art of Squindo Behind the Band
First up on the Saturday schedule was a Q&A session with Tony Squindo, the artist behind the creation of many of Metallica’s most popular T-shirts, posters, and album art. It was a heavy mixture of young and old Metallica fans, as identified by their “Masters of Puppets” attire or the “M72 World Tour” tees that had been purchased on Friday night. Whatever age the fans were, they packed into the Event Center at the Seminole Hard Rock, eager to hear what Squindo had to say.
Disc jockey AJ from 98Rock ably managed the Q&A and helped to reassure Squindo after he sat down and said, “If I don’t look out there (at the audience), I’m fine.” Artists are, by nature, a solitary lot, doing their work in their artist’s den, so it was natural that Squindo might be a bit uncomfortable in front of over 1200 Metallicans. Once he did, however, the stories started to flow.
“I went to a Catholic school growing up, but I found my crowd in the metalheads,” Squindo admitted. “When I was younger, I wanted to be Walt Disney…as I got older, that faded away. By the end of high school, I knew what direction I wanted to go.”
His first “break” came in doing some artwork for rapper/rocker Kid Rock, who bought one of the pieces that Squindo had drawn of him. “It was either 1999 or 2000, I went backstage to show (Kid Rock) some more work, and he was there with Lars (Ulrich, drummer for Metallica). We talked and he gave me his number.”
But Squindo didn’t call the next day…or the day after that.
“Two or three months later, I got up the guts to call Lars,” Squindo said. “I sent some demos for the band to look at, and I got some great feedback, especially from James (Hetfield, vocalist and guitarist for Metallica). He sent notes that said, “Some great shit here…use our font, use our logos…DIG IT!”
“I might have peed my pants a bit,” Squindo sheepishly admitted.
From there, it has been a twenty-five-year ride with the premier metal band in the world today. “It’s so surreal to see my artwork on T-shirts, posters, jackets…to me, I’m still that same scumbag back in the trailer,” Squindo concluded. “Fortunately, the band likes goofy, and I do that well!” To the well-deserved applause from those in attendance, the two-hour session wrapped, and people adjourned to prepare for the next event.
Kirk Hammett Brings Surprises from “The Collection”
After experiencing the Art of Squindo, it was time to experience the Art of Hammett!
With Mark Agnesi of Gibson Guitars acting as emcee, Hammett came out to a thunderous reception from the 2000 people who packed the Event Center to learn about Hammett’s passion…his guitars. The Collection, a coffee table book that covers the forty years plus of Hammett’s experiences with Metallica and the guitars he has used along the way. He also explained what he was doing on his day off between the Friday and Sunday shows on the Metallica M72 World Tour.
“I went to the beach this morning,” Hammett responded, typical of a someone who now calls Hawaii home. “Rob (Trujillo, bassist for Metallica) and I went down early in the morning, just to sit…we actually ended up getting out our guitars and jamming a bit!” When asked by Agnesi about how the Friday show had gone in the steamy confines of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Hammett said, “I think I lost ten pounds! I went through four pairs of pants…and forget about wearing a jacket!”
From there, the discussion turned to some of Hammett’s favorites from his collection. He recollected about his first Gibson Flying V, which Hammett admitted he still owns. One of the special guitars in his collection is a Flying V Medallion previously owned by Michael Schenker from his days in UFO. But there was an iconic piece that everyone was waiting to hear about, and Hammett had some stories to tell.
As Agnesi asked about “Greeny,” Hammett obviously swelled with pride in speaking about the instrument. Hammett stated it was originally owned by the man who was part of the initial lineup of Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green (hence the name “Greeny”), but that “Gary Moore also had a few licks on the guitar.” Interestingly, Hammett told the story of meeting Green and bringing the guitar out, but Green initially said it “wasn’t his.”
“I asked if we could get some pictures together, then I asked (Green) if he would take some pics with it,” Hammett said. “As I handed it to him, I saw a glint of recognition in his eyes.” Three weeks after their meeting, Green would pass away at the age of 74. It has inspired Hammett to continue to use “Greeny” on stage, with Hammett stating, “Should it be in a case and stared at? Or out performing in front of 65,000 people? Guitars are almost living beings…the ultimate in human expression.”
Hammett also brought some surprises for the Hard Rock crowd. First up was the photographer who was responsible for the work in The Collection, Ross Halfin, who admitted the duo took thirteen trips to Hawaii to get photography for the tome. Then there was a special treat for the Metallica fans in the audience, after Hammett explained how he and Trujillo constantly work together on their instrumentals that they perform during the show.
“Would you like to hear something?” Hammett questioned the audience and, after a resounding “YES!” out strolled Trujillo with his bass, ready for action. Hammett picked up “Greeny” and the duo proceeded to rip into some instrumentals they use during their shows, including a mean rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused.” As Hammett and Trujillo ended their impromptu concert, the crowd erupted in cheers…but the night wasn’t over yet!
Hardwired Brings the Spirit of Metallica
They might have gotten off to a bit of a late start (billed for 10 PM, on at 11 PM due to the large crowd getting into the Hard Rock Café), but Hardwired, a tribute band featuring the music of Metallica, wasted little time in grabbing the attention of the audience. Hammering into the title track of the 2016 album (and the contributor of the band’s name), the band powered through very faithful renditions of the entire range of the Metallica catalog.
The band would put on an outstanding show and hit all the major marks of Metallica’s career, including “The Memory Remains,” “Sad but True,” and an aural assault of “Seek & Destroy” to close out the show. Once the music was done, Hardwired did not leave a hand unshaken in interacting with those who came to see them play, just like their heroes in Metallica. With their officially sanctioned instruments resembling those carried by Hetfield, Hammett, and company, Hardwired was a perfect way to cap off a long day of “taking over” the Hard Rock in Tampa.
